Comparison of a Successful Failure
Both Angela Lipson and David Hilson wrote articles on a successful failure. Although, both articles depict and describe the same idea. The articles differ in other ways. There are many differences and similarities between the two articles that share the same idea. The title of the paper written by Angela Lipson is called “How to have a really successful failure.” The article by David Hilson is called “How to be a successful failure.”
One similarity between the articles is to recognize the failure. David Hilson tells us “Failure is natural. Failure is an intrinsic part of life, as illustrated by the natural laws of competition and survival of the fittest.” Hilson also goes on to tell us that failure is universal and happens to everyone. Lipson tells us “feel bad… its adaptive to feel bad.” Failure is going to happen to all of us and that is expressed well throughout both articles. Both articles are very in depth and go into far detail on how to make a failure a successful failure. Hilson and Lipson also have similar advice on how to make a failure a success. In both of their writings the authors discuss initiative and moving on from a failure. Lipsons’s says “Articulate what you have learned… and Fail again.” She is telling us in this quote that failure is going to happen to all of us. She is telling us we must learn from failures. Learning from these failures will help us move on and become successful according to Lipson. Hilson also states a similar point. He tells us “The central strategy for dealing appropriate with failure is resilience…Resilience can be defined the ability to recover quickly and completely to an original state following a perturbation. More colloquially it might be described as “The KOKO Factor”, since resilience simply requires us to “Keep On Keeping On”. It can be exhibited by individuals, groups and organizations of various sorts.” Hilson is telling us that to move on from failure an individual must have resiliency. The authors tell us we must move on from a failure by learning from it and showing resiliency. Another similarity between the two writings is each contain stories. Lipson tells the reader about some of her own personal failures. Hilson tells us about the failures of some of the most successful people to ever step foot on planet earth. These stories make it easier for the reader to relate to the writings of the authors. Both Hilson and Lipson tell the reader what failure is to them. Lipson states that “failure challenges us, and we learn from it, in a way that
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hard-won success does not, and we do not.” Hilson describes “Firstly, failure starts where success ends, and it defines the limits of success. But secondly, success often follows failure, since it frequently occurs after other options have been tried and failed.” The authors both describe failure and what it is to them.
One difference between the articles is Hilson’s article gives out pictures and many other tactics. Lipson’s paper is very generic and is more based on words and advice. Lipson’s paper on successful failure feels as if it is much more personal and relatable for the reader. Lipson shares stories and gives personal advice. Hilson’s article is more professional and straightforward. The article is not as relatable as Lipson’s paper is. Hilson also shows the reader many different pictures and formulas. Hilson also has a theory for successful failure. Hilson also tells the reader about the connection between failure and success. According to Hilson success and failure have a complex relationship rather than being mere opposites. Lipson describes the future of failure and other ways of failure. Lipson’s paper appeals more to pathos. While Hilson’s article appeals more to logos. Hilton’s paper tells us about how there are two different types of failures “Absolute failure is binary: one either succeeds or not, something is right or wrong, pass/fail…Relative failure describes performance which lies below some threshold: one fails to reach the desired or required standard, or fails in some important aspect or element.” Lipson’s paper describes failure as a whole rather than breaking it down. When it comes to failure which all of us will at times we often look to move past it. Lipson tells us “feel bad…learn to see th;e signs…admit the truth…articulate what you learned…fail again.” Lipson gives very general advice and goes into further depth into each of these categories. Hilson’s article tells the reader “The central strategy for dealing appropriate with failure is resilience, which needs to be present at individual, group, organization and societal levels where failure is experienced.” and “It is more important for us to know how to act in the presence of failure. Here we need to know whether to persist or not. When we encounter a Failure Zone, should we press through looking for the next success, or are we trying to do something unachievable? Knowing when to quit is a key element of an appropriate response to failure. Unfortunately, this is not usually a black-and-white matter, and will often involve a subjective judgement. However, the positive aspects of failure might encourage us to persist beyond the first failure, at least to some extent.” Hilson is telling the reader that two big keys to have a successful failure are mindset and resiliency. Lipson and Hilson have different advice when it comes to having a successful failure. Both authors present great ideas and in different ways.
Both Hilson and Lipson discuss about a successful failure in their writings. Some of their ideas and advice line up and are similar to one another. Some of the ideas and advice are parallel and are quite different from one another. Both writings give the reader excellent advice on how
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to turn a failure into a success. The articles present the same topic and both breed different and similar advice.
Works Cited Page
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Hillson, D. (2010). How to be a successful failure. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2010—EMEA, Milan, Italy. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
Lipson, Abagail. How to have a Really Successful Failure. Bureau of Study Council at Harvard University, 2009.
Works Cited Page
Hillson, D. (2010). How to be a successful failure. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2010—EMEA, Milan, Italy. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.