Leaders Are Made From Their Fall

Why Falling Isn’t Failing—It’s How Real Leaders Are Made

Lead It Like a Project

Every leader has what I call their “moment of truth.” It’s that time when you sit back, but feel like everything has gone wrong—your failures. Most leaders aren’t always comfortable discussing their failures, and neither am I. However, our failures often set us up for our greatest comebacks and help us become the success we were destined to be.

Let me share a significant experience from my life—one of my greatest failures. For lack of time, I won’t go into what caused my failings, but I was placed on corrective action. In other words, I was being punished for something I did—whether it was because I made a bad choice or thought my actions were justifiable. I was moved from my office to what I call the “small office.” Essentially, I was demoted and relieved of many of my responsibilities. If you didn’t know, being demoted is demoralizing and embarrassing. Still, I recognized that this action was beyond my control, and I understood that it was the result of my own actions.

It’s important to note that not all punishments or corrections are equal; they are assessed by people who, like all of us, are human. Nonetheless, I accept this situation, and, in fact, I am grateful it occurred because it changed me forever and taught me a most valuable lesson.

Sometimes, we think our actions define us, but events do not define who we are. You are not defined by a singular moment. For example, if you’ve been divorced, stop identifying yourself as a divorced person. Instead, think of yourself as someone who has experienced a divorce. You don’t have to be labeled by others; you are not defined by the label they wish to place on you. I learned this lesson from Pastor Chris Hodges, founder of one of the largest churches in America: Yes, you may have done that thing, but that isn’t who you are. Just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean that’s your identity.

Returning to my story, being in that corrective action state and placed in that small office was tough on my ego and self-esteem. I can tell you it was horrible having in the back of my mind thoughts of what others would think of me, and how demoralizing it was. However, I learned these important lessons during that process:

1. I came to terms with what I had done and recognized what I needed to do to improve.

2. I learned something about who I was; I discovered more about my identity. I wasn’t that, but I was much more; I realized I was more than just this experience.

I decided to operate in that demoted position as if I had been promoted. Your attitude is something only you can control. If you believe you’re demoted, then you are. If you believe you’re promoted, then you are. Whatever you believe in your heart is who you become ^[1]; it’s not what others believe about you that makes you who you are, but what you think of yourself that makes you who you are. The choice is yours and yours alone.

I remember coming to the conclusion that it’s my job to make the little office look like it was the big office. I worked towards that goal. I wanted others to see that it wasn’t about the space, but about the person. That office did not define me; I defined the office. I could no longer live from the label of what I had done, but from the thought that I was not that label. I had to speak, act, and behave as if I were promoted. Because of this mindset, no one—whether to the north, south, east, or west of me (the leadership compass)—could change the fact that I was a promoted employee. Ultimately, what mattered was not what others thought of my position but what I thought of myself.

Consider this: what label have you placed on yourself that continues to hold you back today? I’m going to ask you to remove it. Remove that label. Peel it right off, right now! If you think of yourself as a second-class employee, take that label off and replace it with a new one. Call yourself first class because you don’t have to be last. You can be first, but you must change your mindset and how you view yourself.

As soon as you do, you’ll change how you perceive your current position and the uniform you wear. You’ll make that uniform look good. People will want to see you, respect you, and aspire to be like you. In my case, there were people who envied the person I became in “the small office” because of the pride I took in it, and this is the opportunity I’m offering you.

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[1] Proverbs 23:7 NKJV, Bible.com, accessed July 22, 2025,

https://www.bible.com/bible/114/PRO.23.7.NKJV

All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.