Failing Forward: How Setbacks Can Fuel Future Success

The Power of Setbacks in Growth

Let’s normalize failure. It’s funny right, excluding ties, one team wins, and one team loses EVERY SINGLE TIME. So, 50% of the players and coaches who show up and do their best on that given day, fail. Players and coaches, heck even parents can relate to this scenario; the conversation with a friendly stranger on the hotel elevator or in the airport after a game, who excitedly asks if you won, and for some reason the slight embarrassment revealing that in fact, you lost. Ever think about why that’s awkward or uncomfortable? The truth is, I think we are all conditioned to believe that we should always win. We should always succeed. But the one thing that every athlete, coach, and leader have in common—they’ve failed. Not just once, but many times. Some smaller pursuits and some much larger. What has taken time for me to master, is that failure is not the opposite of success; it’s part of the process and can actually be a catalyst to spring us forward. The key is how we respond to setbacks. Do we let them define us, or do we use them as lessons for growth? One of my favorite quotes came from former UVA men's basketball coach, Tony Bennett, when he said, "If you learn to use it right, the adversity, it will buy you a ticket to a place you couldn’t have gone any other way.”

Reframing Failure as Growth

The best athletes and teams understand that failure is just feedback. It’s an opportunity to analyze, adjust, and improve. Instead of seeing a loss, a mistake, or a tough season as a failure, successful individuals reframe it as a lesson.

Lessons from Setbacks:

1. Resilience is Built Through Adversity – Learning to bounce back from disappointment creates a toughness that can't be shaped from always succeeding.

2. Mistakes Provide Data – Every missed shot, lost game, or poor decision provides insight into what needs to change.

3. Humility Leads to Growth – Failure humbles even the best, reminding us that there is always room to improve.

4. Adversity Fuels Motivation – Setbacks often spark a deeper drive to work harder, train smarter, and compete with greater purpose.

   
   

Practical Ways to Fail Forward

1. Own It – Acknowledge mistakes without excuses. Growth starts with accountability.

2. Learn from It – Reflect on what went wrong and identify what can be improved.

3. Adjust and Move Forward – Apply the lesson and get back to work with a better plan.

4. Stay Mentally Tough – Failure is a test of mindset. Stay confident, focused, and resilient.

   
   

Final Thoughts

Whether you're a coach or athlete, failure is an inevitable part of sports—and life. The best don’t fear failure; they embrace it, learn from it, and use it to fuel their future success.

The next time you or your team face a setback, remember to fail forward. It’s not about avoiding failure—it’s about using it to become stronger, smarter, and better than before.

~ Lindsey Martin