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Do you enjoy struggling? Odds are the answer to that is a resounding “No!” because struggling is difficult, uncomfortable, and frustrating. However, without struggle it is impossible for us to develop to our full potential in our personal and professional lives. In this episode Greg and I encourage you to embrace struggle, and allow your team to struggle as well so that you all can grow to your very best.
- [0:20] The struggle is real, but leaders help people know that struggling ≠ failing.
- [2:07] Failure is not permanent, and leaders need to help people slow down to see this.
- [3:38] Here’s how leaders can inspire their teammates to reframe failure.
- [5:54] Greg shares some reflections from his sports background that can help us see our productive struggle in a positive light.
- [6:40] I talk about using Six Sigma initiatives in one of my organizations to help them learn each time they missed a benchmark.
- [8:25] The struggle is what helps us ultimately succeed.
- [11:42] We rob others of the joy of a breakthrough if we don’t allow them to struggle.
- [14:19] Leaders need to differentiate failures from mistakes.
- [16:09] Greg pulls out a movie analogy for us.
- [18:17] The struggle helps us enjoy the future wins.
- [21:14] Two leadership lessons we need to keep in mind.
- [25:26] Greg transformed a couple of organizations by asking people what they learned from mistakes.
- [27:15] Leaders need to change their own mindset about failing before they can change the mindset of their team. If you need help with this, we would love to help coach you to that next level.
Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.



March 29, 2025 at 6:06 am
[…] Every “miss” along the journey can be a stepping stone to future success. If you don’t win, at least learn. Check out the full conversation Greg and I had. […]
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July 19, 2025 at 6:06 am
[…] On our 100th episode, Greg and I talk about how important it is for leaders to let people learn through their struggle, so we need to reject the temptation to jump in to help them too soon. Check out the full conversation The Struggle is Real (but Necessary). […]
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August 2, 2025 at 6:07 am
[…] Leaders must resist trying to rush in “to save the day.” We need to let our teammates learn how to rescue themselves through a time of productive struggle. Check out the full conversation Greg and I had in our episode “The struggle is real (but necessary).” […]
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September 4, 2025 at 5:05 am
[…] Check out this clip from an episode of The Craig and Greg Show called “The struggle is real (but necessary).” […]
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