Company Blog

Captain Know-It-All

by Adam Zack — September 25, 2024

Your wins vastly outnumber your losses.

I’m always preaching about the importance of trying new things. New products, fresh ideas, groundbreaking marketing strategies – basically anything to shake things up and keep things interesting and fresh. And while I’ll go to my grave swearing that the only constant in the grocery biz—or any business, really—is change, we rarely talk about how to deal with the lovely mess that happens when those bold new ideas crash and burn.

Here’s a fun fact: Failure will happen. I used to work with this one guy—let’s call him “Captain Know-It-All.” No matter what I did, the guy would swoop in with his unsolicited advice, like some self-appointed superhero of mediocrity. He had an opinion on everything, and surprise, surprise—it was always negative. Turns out, he had a major inferiority complex, which is apparently contagious because before long, we were having more battles than a game of Battleship. (Spoiler: I hated losing that game too.)

Now, I’m not a sore loser. Well, not that bad. I just hate losing in general. So, when one of my big ideas bombed, it felt like the universe itself had turned against me. Cue the “Why does this bother you so much? It’s just business” comments from well-meaning colleagues. Yeah, I get it—business is full of setbacks. And sure, the strong leader learns from these “teachable moments,” dusts themselves off, and moves forward. But let’s be real: It’s easier said than done when your name is on the line and that little voice in your head (you know, the one that sounds suspiciously like Captain Know-It-All) won’t shut up about how you could’ve done better.

Here’s the truth: When you care about your team, your project, or the company you’ve poured your heart and soul into, failure is personal. It’s your decision that went sideways. It’s your strategy that didn’t work. Could you have prepped better? Sure. Could you have communicated more effectively? Probably. It’s like replaying that cringe moment from a Zoom call in your head at 3 a.m., but worse.

So yeah, failure sucks. I’m not here to tell you to brush it off like it’s no big deal. That’s some TikTok-influencer-level nonsense. What I am here to say is: Failure is an excellent teacher. It’s brutal, unforgiving, and sometimes makes you want to chuck your computer out the window—but man, does it teach you. And guess what? Your wins vastly outnumber your losses. Take a minute to reflect on that. Then, stop doom-scrolling, put on your metaphorical cape, and get back out there.

It’s not about whether you fail; it’s all about how you rise from it. Oh, and next time someone like Captain Know-It-All tries to step in, just smile and say, “I’ll take it from here, thanks.” You’ve got this.