Zarina Pasalic, Vice President Sales Operations and Enablement at NTT Data, says don’t panic and throw your tools if setbacks occur – these are precisely the moments we grow stronger.
Failing well – is it possible? I think so.
Some of my greatest personal and professional growth moments have come directly from these periods of honest self-reflection.
It’s about breaking free from the cobweb of self-doubt and finding the courage to try again.
Okay, but where do I start, how do I get back up? One word. Resilience.
Growing up, I was always encouraged to be resilient and determined, to push through anything that came my way. This was shaped naturally in my childhood when I arrived in the UK as a refugee from Bosnia.
This was a unique experience, one where my family and I built our future from the ground up after facing the hardships of war. My mother taught me the power of perseverance and the importance of holding on to hope.
By younger adulthood, I was equipped with a resilience that allowed me to see the light at the end of the tunnel, which I like to call hope. With hope, comes empathy and it is just what I bring to my professional career and leadership. It’s the perfect ecosystem that allows you to fail well.
While not everyone has faced the same challenges, I believe anyone can develop the mindset to approach adversity with courage and strength.
Admit failure, especially when you’re leading a team
When things go wrong, the hardest part is finding the strength to pause and reflect, acknowledging exactly what went wrong. From there, you can begin the process to view the setback as a chance to learn and grow.
A hallmark of resilient leadership is the courage to share your own experiences of failure, as they provide a blueprint for others. One real-world example that stands out to me is when I faced a significant setback during a product launch.
Having had the product in development for a year, it finally reached beta testing. It was clear that it would need more modifications than anticipated to be truly market-ready. Time was not on my side.
My team was disappointed and let down. I felt personally responsible. But instead of shying away from the setback or becoming defensive, I set aside my ‘authority hat’ and was completely transparent with the team. I called out for support from my peers and this openness not only helped rebuild trust but became a point of learning for everyone involved.
We were working through this together and all had elements of ‘failure’.
From a negative experience, valuable lessons were learnt. In life, failure is always more memorable than success. However, it has made me a leader who is now equipped to manage risk and handle unexpected obstacles.
Look back, but jump forward
Failing well requires reflection, and that takes some effort on our part. Start by noting everything you handled well and then think about what you might change if you had another chance to relive that experience.
As hard as it might be, it’s important not to dwell on the negatives. Instead, treat this as an opportunity to refine your approach. By drawing insights from our mistakes, we create a personal reflection guide to help us navigate challenges.
I’ve seen first-hand how challenging events tend to come back for a second run. The universe has an interesting way of checking if we’ve learnt from previous experiences. I use this as a superpower.
The role of leaders in supporting colleagues through highs and lows
Strong leadership is not only about what you do in successful times but how you guide others through setbacks. Female leaders often bring a unique, empathetic approach that helps foster a safe space where colleagues can openly discuss their challenges and failures. This environment of psychological safety is essential for building a resilient team.
Mentorship is a vital tool in this context. I’ve benefitted greatly from this and have mentored others during my career. When senior leaders share their journeys of overcoming adversity, they become living examples of resilience.
A notable example of mentorship in action is the ‘Lean In Circles’, where small groups within an organisation meet regularly to share experiences, seek advice and build each other up. These circles allow colleagues to see failure not as an endpoint but as a shared experience that can lead to collective learning and growth.
Equipping yourself with resilience as a pathway to growth
Resilience is more than a personal trait; it’s a skill, a tool and a cultural value. For women at any level of their career (and personal life for that matter), resilience provides a framework for moving beyond setbacks. It’s about creating an environment where mistakes are learning opportunities and where individuals feel empowered to try again.
Trust me, even though falling often feels like a skydive, it does get easier.
So next time something goes wrong, remember: Resilience isn’t about perfection or avoiding failure. It’s about having the courage to fall, pick yourself up, learn, adapt and keep moving forward.
You’ve got this.
