My New Favorite Interview Question

I receive regular emails from Kyle Wilson, founder of Jim Rohn International. He told this story that resonated with my philosophy of 'WINNERS LOSE MORE THAN LOSERS LOSE.' This means we learn from mistakes or defeats much more than we do from victories.

Kyle tells the story of Splash Media, wanting to start a success-oriented TV network. One of the principal figures at Splash was Marc Sparks who taught Kyle a valuable lesson that I love and want to share.

"It was our second or third meeting and Marc was ready to get down to some gut-level conversations. He shared with me some of his biggest successes, as well as his most challenging moments. Then it was my turn. He had heard my best stories as well as any special spin I had on them. :-)

But he was really interested in what my worst failures and disappointments had been in business and, in particular, the personal development industry.

Trust me, I had plenty to share, but one, in particular, stood out. It included miscalculations, bad decisions and poor leadership on my part and at the end of the day a huge financial blow, which all in all took me almost 3 years to recover from. And yes, it was humbling and a bit embarrassing to share it all, but the truth is the truth.

So after baring my soul, Marc looked at me and said, "GREAT! I never do business with anyone who has yet to have their first big failure because when they do, I don't want it to happen on my watch and my dime."

Haha, I had never looked at it that way. I could honestly tell him that those three years did serve me well because of the lessons I learned and the experience I gained. Unfortunately, frequently those very failures can be heavily weighted against us."

There is so much gold in this lesson. Don't kick yourself over past mistakes (unless you continue to repeat them), be grateful you have crossed that bridge and have the experience not to allow it to happen again. I enjoy asking 'non-traditional' questions when I interview coaches.  If you are ever sitting across from me in an interview be ready for me to ask, "What is the worst mistake you have ever made?"