Let’s be honest, everyone loves to shout about their wins. Social media and particularly LinkedIn is full of “We’re so excited to announce…”, “Proud to share…”, and endless celebratory posts, which is of course amazing. But when it comes to losses? Silence. Losses are more often than not treated like little secrets, hidden away in the shadows. The truth is, we’re all failing—often—and yet most people don’t want to talk about it. Well, here at Inventum Group, we’ve had two high-profile losses in the span of just one week. Yup, two!
Last night, we were up for a Recruiter award, and earlier this week, we were finalists for the APSCo Embrace Award. We know we had a strong shot at both. We got the outfits; we prepared the speeches but neither went our way. Does it sting? Absolutely. But these losses are not buried in shame. Because losing—while not nearly as fun as winning— has the ability to teach us far more valuable lessons. The winners of course, are incredible and they deserved their win wholeheartedly, but here’s what we’ve learned about how to lose and why it’s crucial to embrace failure instead of hiding from it.
1. Shortlisted but not forgotten
When you’re shortlisted for an award, you’ve already made an impact. Sure, winning would be great, but being recognized by your industry shows that your work matters. For us, being finalists for both the APSCo Embrace and Recruiter ED&I awards was a nod to the progress we’re making in Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. It’s proof that we’re being noticed, even if we didn’t take home the win. Our award categories are for ED&I so the fact these awards take place at the table, is amazing for the industry.
Lesson: Don’t diminish the achievement of being shortlisted. It’s a step in the right direction and shows that your work is resonating beyond your immediate circle.
2.Failures can be the real path to success, you just don’t know it yet
We like to think success is a straight line, but anyone who’s been in the recruitment business for more than five minutes knows that’s far from reality. If anything, failure is an essential part of growth. Every time you stumble, you’re forced to reevaluate, improve, and come back stronger. Now we get to ask ourselves the important questions: What can we do better? Where can we improve? The answers to these questions often lay the groundwork for future success.
Lesson: Success isn’t about never failing—it’s about learning from those failures and using them as fuel for the next chapter.
3.Don’t let it stop you
Most of us cringe at the idea of failure. It’s uncomfortable and a little embarrassing, especially when it’s public. But maybe it’s time to flip that thinking. What if failure was actually a badge of honour? We’ve started looking at our losses as part of our journey. These awards weren’t the first time we’ve come up short, and they won’t be the last. What matters is how we pick ourselves up, dust off the disappointment, and keep moving forward. In fact, the real failure would be letting this setback stop us, particularly in carving our name so prominently in the ED&I arena.
Lesson: Instead of hiding from failure, wear it proudly. It’s a sign that you’re pushing boundaries, taking risks, and not settling for the status quo.
4. Celebrate the winners!
The collective effort in pushing forward ED&I practices across the recruitment sector is something we can all be proud of, win or lose. The winners are doing incredible things for the recruitment industry and that, which is what we all want collectively as ED&I advocates.
Lesson: Just because someone else wins doesn’t mean you’ve lost your value. Cheer for others while continuing your own journey with pride.
5. The real test is in the next steps
Here’s the thing about failure: it’s only final if you let it be. After these two losses, we have a choice to make. We can let them knock us down, or we can use them as a springboard for something bigger. At Inventum, we’ve chosen the latter. The feedback and insights from these awards will shape our approach moving forward. How can we make even more of an impact in ED&I recruitment? How can we create real, lasting change for our clients, candidates, and the industry as a whole? These are the questions driving us now, and we’re more determined than ever to keep innovating and improving. After all, it’s the next steps that truly define success.
Lesson: Failure is not the end—it’s the beginning of the next chapter. Use it as fuel to power your future efforts.
In Conclusion it is okay to fail, and by sharing your failures you will find bring a lot more people together. So, the next time you face failure, don’t hide it. Embrace it. Share it. Learn from it. And then use it to fuel your next success.