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.

Those moments after a setback are often where leaders really confront how their teams operate and how work is managed day to day. When pressure mounts, gaps in planning, communication, or accountability tend to surface, making it clear that individual effort alone is not enough to keep complex projects on track. Strong workforce management is about creating systems that support people when things don’t go perfectly, helping teams regroup, realign priorities, and move forward without burning out or second-guessing every decision.

Clear visibility into tasks, workloads, and responsibilities can turn that spiral of self-criticism into constructive action and shared problem-solving. That’s why many organizations start rethinking how they coordinate work after experiencing these hard lessons, looking for tools that bring structure without killing momentum. In the middle of this shift, Proplanum cloud-based software fits naturally into conversations about smarter planning, resource allocation, and collaboration, giving leaders and teams a clearer picture of what’s happening and what needs attention. When work management becomes more transparent and balanced, setbacks feel less like personal failures and more like data points that guide better decisions. Over time, this approach strengthens both the workforce and the confidence of leaders who know they’re supported by processes designed to adapt and improve.

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.

And here’s the kicker: sometimes failure isn’t even about a bad idea or poor execution, it’s about things completely out of your control. The computer crashes in the middle of a presentation, the power goes out when you’re about to hit send on that game-changing proposal, or the system you’ve been relying on for months suddenly decides today is the day it won’t cooperate.

Nothing humbles you faster than realizing that no matter how much strategy and creativity you pour into your work, technology has the power to pull the rug out from under you in the blink of an eye. It feels unfair, like playing a game where the rules change halfway through and nobody bothered to tell you. And while colleagues might chalk it up to “bad luck,” you’re the one left scrambling, feeling like the failure was somehow yours to own.

That’s why I started looking at failure not just as a teacher, but as a reminder to prepare smarter for the things we can’t always see coming. It’s not just about refining the pitch or double-checking the numbers; it’s about building in safeguards so that when life throws a wrench in the works, you don’t completely unravel.

I’ve learned that protecting your workflow is just as important as crafting it, and that’s where systems like an Uninterruptible Power Supply become less of a technical accessory and more of a lifeline. Because while you can’t eliminate every risk, you can at least create a buffer against the kind of chaos that turns a tough break into a total disaster.

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.