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To lead is to change. Without change, we are merely following our current practices and old patterns. We function both as a manager -- to maintain some current situations for stability and continuity -- and as a leader -- to explore new directions for growth.

Recently a string of incidents and self-reflection led me to a fundamental change in my attitude towards failure. In late October I stopped my preparation for a training proposal to the City of Toronto. I had submitted proposals to the city before and did not win a contract. Fearing another failure, I gave up.

The day before the submission deadline I changed my mind. I wanted to complete the work I had started for the sake of completion. As I wrote the details of my proposal that night, I felt as if I were just half-way through a marathon while the leading training companies had crossed the finish line.

I kept running, for the pure sake of running. It was no longer about wining that contract. It was about focusing on writing the best content. As my proposal took shape, I felt that I was having a "flow" experience, an experience where I had a clear goal, was focused on a challenging but manageable task, and was receiving feedback on my progress.

Through this flow experience I gained a sense of satisfaction, regardless whether I would win the contract. It is through such experience where we make best effort, we achieve progress. Results will come as an indication of our effort.

In a previous e-newsletter, I described how my years of writing and submitting articles and receiving rejections or "failures" led to one of my articles being published in the Globe and Mail. In retrospect, all those rejections and "failures" were incremental successes that led to the result of publication.

John Wooden, former coach of the record-setting UCLA basketball team, winners of 10 national championships in 12 years, said, "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming".

Success lies in the effort we make in everything we do. It is not measured by results. It is measured by our efforts -- only we know if we have made our best effort or experienced flow.

John Wooden was already a success before his team won their first national championship, because he and his team had been giving their best efforts for 14 years! Similarly, players who had given their best and whose teams did not win a championship were also a success.

What we have commonly regarded as "failures" are results of efforts -- sometimes best efforts. Often, it is the fear of "failure" -- results such as rejection or losing a game -- that stops us from taking action or making efforts.

It is liberating to switch measurement of success and failure from results to efforts. With no baggage, I am moving forward with my next effort to host a radio program and to record a song on protecting water in Chinese.

Do you have something you have wanted to do for a long time but haven't done it because of fear of "failure"? Now you can do it with guaranteed success. You put in your best effort and you are already a success.

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