09/24/2025

If Failure Sends You into Shame, Try These Strategies

All leaders inevitably fail at some point - it's okay and expected

Some degree of failure is inevitable. However, people respond differently to their own failure. Do any of these three styles of response to failure sound like you?

The Impunitive Style

When faced with failure, do you tend to react with anger or hurt? Do you get defensive, deny a role in what happened or perhaps deny that failure even occurred? Do you slant information to avoid looking guilty, or come up with a laundry list of reasons for the failure that were outside of your control? Perhaps you try being nice with the hopes that others will overlook the failure or point their fingers elsewhere.

The Extrapunitive Style

Do you tend to blame others when things don’t go as planned? If that isn’t feasible, do you blame the person or group who assigned you the responsibility? Do you frequently expect failure to occur, and feel as though you will be unfairly blamed? Perhaps you appear to overreact when failure happens, and when others offer advice, it feels like criticism.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Psychology Today.