To call it failure – does it even matter? Comments on Giannis Antetokounmpo

If you haven't heard this story then you don't follow the National Basketball Association (NBA) - but then neither do I... I do however, where I can,  follow discussions on failure.

🥜In a nutshell

There has been praise, criticism and comparison to Michael Jordan's quotes, in regard to NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo's response to the question: "Do you view this season as a failure?"  

A bit of background:  The Milwaukee Bucks, who had the best record in the NBA regular season, were knocked out of the playoffs last week by the Miami Heat team, who  were 8th seed. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks' star player, was asked after the game if he considered the season a "failure."  

His reply really went viral and was newsjacked everywhere from religious  to TV programs – so I am going to do the same ... 😉

But actually, I do care about this; it matters and Giannis was eloquent in his reply.

They asked: Do you view this season as a failure?"  

He said: "Do you get a promotion every year? On your job? No, right? So, every year, your work is a failure. Yes or no? Every year you work, you work toward something. Toward a goal, right? Which is to get a promotion, to be able to take care of your family, to be able to, I don't know, provide the house for them or take care of your parents. You work toward a goal. It's not a failure. It's steps to success" 

🗨️ AK's comment

I agree with Giannis – what a great answer! When you are working towards something, your actions are a step towards success. And I loved the analogy – we don't think of every single year working as a failure if we don't get promoted. #100%. Using the word failure to frame the question was pretty biased and really undermines the success that the team had. Unfortunately, the word failure has stigma attached to it!

I believe this discussion showcases, the negativity associated with the word failure.

Both of the following sentences have a similar meaning, but you can feel the difference in tone simply by the use of the word failure

• The team did not win, but they were successful in improving, participating and playing, increasing their chances of winning the next championship.

or

• The team  failed to win the championship, but they improved, participated and played, increasing their chances of winning the next championship.

Either wording is correct. It's ok to fail. It's ok for the outcome to not be what you wanted. And importantly, in this case and in many cases, there is still success. 

Let's value failure and to be clear, Giannis' year without winning the league was no different any of my many years without a promotion.