FAILING EARLY FAILING &OFTEN HOW TO TURN YOUR ADVERSITY INTO ADVANTAGE by Greg E. Lindberg Failing Early Failing &Often How To Turn Your Adversity Into Advantage by Greg E. Lindberg Copyright © 2020 by Global Growth, LLC All Rights Reserved. Cover image © AndreaA/depositphotos.com ISBN: 9798694941365 Printed in the United States Published by Global Growth, LLC Global Growth, LLC. Worldwide Headquarters 2222 Sedwick Road, Durham, NC 27713 www.globalgrowth.com ii | Failing Early and Failing Often This book is dedicated to my mother. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would not be here if it weren’t for the kindness and generosity of thousands of people who have encouraged me and coached me along the way, including my parents, teachers, coaches, fellow employees, lawyers, accountants, lenders, friends, family and others too numerous to mention. I hesitate to list anyone here for fear of missing someone. I am sincerely grateful for everyone who has had faith in me. I am also sincerely grateful for the work of those whom I have cited here. I would not be the person I am today if it weren’t for people such as Napoleon Hill, Jim Collins and numerous others. For this book in particular, a special thanks to Carolyn Tetaz, Skip Press, Bridgett Hurley, Jacqui Dawson, Jessica Henry, Amy Maclean, Brenda Lynch and Randy Nelson for their help in writing and publishing this book. Carolyn did the lion’s share of the work and turned the manuscript around in very short order. How to Turn Your Adversity Into Advantage | iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Part One: Start Failing, Keep Failing . 1 Part Two: Foundations . 21 Chapter 1: Descartes . 24 Chapter 2: Plato . 28 Chapter 3: Socrates . 33 Chapter 4: Nietzsche . 37 Chapter 5: Hegel . 48 Chapter 6: Jim Collins . 53 Chapter 7: Napoleon Hill . 56 Part Three: Values . 61 Chapter 8: Seek Truth . 62 Chapter 9: Welcome Pain . 65 Chapter 10: Embrace Failure . 68 Chapter 11: Maintain Discipline . 71 Chapter 12: Transcend Fear . 75 Chapter 13: Deepen Faith . 80 Chapter 14: Offer Trust . 82 Chapter 15: Remain Humble . 84 Chapter 16: Celebrate Difference . 87 Chapter 17: Set Goals . 89 Chapter 18: Keep Innovating . 93 Chapter 19: Be Aware . 96 Part Four: Prepare Yourself for Success . 97 Chapter 20: Hi-Vis Leader . 103 Chapter 21: Succeed by Doing the Impossible . 105 Chapter 22: Define Your Offer . 108 Chapter 23: Embrace ‘And,’ not ‘Or’ . 112 Chapter 24: Develop Your Self-Awareness . 115 Chapter 25: Set Your Standards . 117 Chapter 26: Do You Measure Up? . 120 iv | Failing Early and Failing Often TABLE OF CONTENTS Global Growth Brochure . .GGB Part Five: How to Win in Business . 161 Chapter 27: Get a Great Team . 162 Chapter 28: Develop Independent Leaders . 166 Chapter 29: Results Over Control . 168 Chapter 30: Stay Focused on Results . 174 Chapter 31: A Simple Way to Build the Right Culture Through Meetings . 176 Chapter 32: Stay Scrappy . 179 Chapter 33: Get Close to Reality . 182 Chapter 34: Fail Early, Fail Often . 186 Chapter 35: Creative Destruction . 188 Chapter 36: Always Keep Learning . 191 Chapter 37: Develop a Growth Mindset . 193 Chapter 38: Think Long Term . 195 Part Six: Expert Coaching . 197 Chapter 39: Are You Qualified to Lead? . 200 Chapter 40: Growth Through Goals . 202 Chapter 41: Doing the Right Thing . 205 Chapter 42: Lagging Indicators and Leading Indicators . 208 Chapter 43: Levers . 210 Chapter 44: Metrics . 213 One Final Thing . 215 Appendix I: Global Growth and Global Good . 220 Bibliography . 224 How to Turn Your Adversity Into Advantage | v PART ONE Start Failing, Keep Failing How to Turn Your Adversity Into Advantage | 1 Part One: Start Failing, Keep Failing OVID-19 has wrought unprecedented havoc on lives, businesses and families worldwide. Those C of us fortunate enough to still be alive have experienced failures of friendships, marriages, businesses, careers and projects, and so many have lost their life’s work. COVID-19 is one of the greatest adversities humanity has faced in decades. A lot is riding on our collective response to COVID-19: Does it make us weaker, have no impact or make us stronger? In order for COVID-19 to make us stronger, we must have total and utter faith that the failures and adversity caused by COVID-19 are the seeds of an even greater advantage . That faith is hard to come by in times of great adversity—when your marriage, business, career and/or life’s work has been destroyed by forces beyond your control . But remember, you can control your thoughts, and your thoughts determine whether or not these adversities make you weaker, have no impact or make you stronger . What is the mindset that permits you to see this advantage, believe this advantage, and achieve this advantage, despite the trauma and adversity you have experienced? What are the steps you can take to achieve this mindset? This book will help you turn any adversity, failure, heartbreak or trauma into an even greater advantage . I have had a few failures and adversities of my own . I’ve been divorced, indicted, convicted and have failed at numerous 2 | Failing Early and Failing Often Part One: Start Failing, Keep Failing different business ventures. I am currently facing a lengthy prison sentence . Yes, I am potentially going to prison for asking for “fair and rigorous regulation” from an “unbiased regulator .” The federal government thinks I am a criminal, despite the fact I said on tape numerous times (not knowing I was being recorded) that everything we do must be fully compliant with the law . I believe I’ve made every mistake there is to make in business at least twice . I had a golf ball-sized brain tumor removed, which means I am half deaf and had to learn to walk again . I’ve lost hundreds of millions of dollars on failed investments . I am a humble student of the “School of Hard Knocks,” and I am hoping to share a few lessons with you here in overcoming adversity—and turning it into an even greater advantage . I find the most powerful lesson in navigating failure and adversity comes from Napoleon Hill, who wrote almost a 100 years ago that “every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” A warning before we start: This book is not going to give you the answers . Rather, this book will suggest a path that will lead to learning and wisdom through trial, error and failure . Simply reading this book will not give you this knowledge; you must take the material in this book and turn it into daily action and habits that will ultimately form your character after many years of repetitive effort. Nothing short of that will last . Nothing short of that will ultimately produce the greater advantage from your adversity . Adversity will only make you stronger if you put the hard-earned lessons into action every day for the rest of your life . If you How to Turn Your Adversity Into Advantage | 3 Part One: Start Failing, Keep Failing fail to put your newfound wisdom to work with new goals and objectives, you have wasted the experience . As Napoleon Hill says, “KNOWLEDGE will not attract money, unless it is organized, and intelligently directed, through practical PLANS OF ACTION, to the DEFINITE END of accumulation of money . Lack of understanding of this fact has been the source of confusion to millions of people who falsely believe that ‘knowledge is power .’ It is nothing of the sort! Knowledge is only potential power . It becomes power only when, and if, it is organized into definite plans of action, and directed to a definite end.” Regardless of where you might ultimately find your advantage— in business, your career, art, sports or your community— don’t expect results quickly . Turning adversity into advantage can take years . But when the advantage does appear—and appear it will if you persist long enough— you will be overwhelmed by its power and wonder where it has been all these years . I was recently sentenced to more than seven years in prison for something all my advisors agreed “there was nothing wrong with .” It could take the better part of the coming decade to realize the full advantage from this adversity . But the advantage is there, and when it emerges, it will be more powerful than ever . Along the way, you will learn you must always be a student . The day you stop asking questions, relax and rest on your accomplishments is the day you start dying . Relaxations are dangerous in any field, from poetry to plumbing to politics. And remember, I am not the teacher here . I am merely sharing my experiences as a fellow student . Your life experiences will 4 | Failing Early and Failing Often Part One: Start Failing, Keep Failing teach you . This book will simply encourage you to have those experiences in the first place. We know failure is part of success—we have all seen the posters and put the quotes above our desks . Nevertheless, most of us think of failure as, well, a failure, and we do everything we can to avoid it . In society, education and business, failure is a humiliating negative . Failing a class, putting on weight, getting wait-listed, dropping out, getting divorced, going bankrupt, being convicted, being sent to prison . all are considered failures in today’s society, when, in truth, these experiences can be the stepping stones for later, greater success in life. To quote the film based on the C.S. Lewis book Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010), “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny .” We are often asked to dream of success, to imagine what life will look like when we win .