Blog: The Explosive Truth About Failure

by Jacquie Rives, Community Leader and Program Director, WOTC

I recently had an insightful conversation with an old colleague & friend about a challenging work situation. His words left me pondering deeply. He said, “You don’t know how to fail; you always succeed. It’s admirable.”

I couldn’t help but laugh and told him the truth: I fail all the time! My approach to failure is to see it as an opportunity to learn, adapt, and try again. Failure has always been a stepping stone for me.

Of course, I’m not immune to disappointment or frustration. I’m human, after all. But I’ve come to embrace this mindset through a very memorable experience that shaped my perspective—quite literally, a blast from the past.

Flashback to the early 1990s: I was in the U.S. Army, gearing up for a thrilling training exercise—throwing a live grenade. It was a day filled with intense training, from classroom lessons to practice throws. When I finally received my live grenade, securely housed in a cylindrical container, I was instructed to head to the waiting area, a cinder block enclosure with observation windows.

As someone who isn’t particularly athletic (I can ski, hike, and run, and that’s about it), this task was daunting. When my name, “Private Rose,” echoed through the training ground, a pit formed in my stomach. I walked up to the grenade throwing pit and handed the container to my Drill Instructor (DI), who then prepared me for the throw.

With the grenade firmly gripped in my left hand, the spring clip secure, and my right index finger through the pin ring, I was ready. My DI’s command to “prepare to throw” echoed in my ears. I had practiced the sequence all morning: Aim, Throw, Squat, Listen.

I hurled the grenade with all my might, squatted, and waited for the boom. Instead, I was tackled and thrown to safety by my DI. The explosion came from behind me. To my horror, I realized the grenade had slipped from my fingers and landed dangerously close behind me, despite my conviction that I had thrown it over the wall.

In front of my peers and instructors, I made a colossal mistake. It was embarrassing and could have been dangerous. I wanted to disappear, but I had no choice but to own my mistake, learn from it, and strive to improve. This incident, and the supportive reaction of my leadership and team, forever altered my view on failure.

I am grateful for that experience. While I didn’t successfully throw the grenade over the wall, it didn’t erode the trust my leaders had in me. Later in Basic Training, I was even selected to fire an AT4, a smaller bazooka-like weapon, highlighting the enduring confidence my superiors had in me.

This experience taught me that failure isn’t the end but rather a crucial part of the journey toward success. It’s not about never failing; it’s about how you handle failure and what you learn from it.

Bio:  A little about me: I have been a COO, an entrepreneur, a photographer, and served in the US Army for six years both stateside and overseas. I enjoy writing, traveling, photography, hiking, and skiing during my free time. Most importantly, I am a proud mother of two amazing daughters and currently reside in Georgia with my husband, Tony.