It is therefore important to change our attitude towards failure. I recently discussed this with Nicolas Duvernois, founder of Pur Vodka. "You have to be ready to lose if you want to win!" For Nicolas, failures are opportunities to learn and improve. This attitude is probably the most productive. To develop it, I present to you some important keys.

First, avoid avoidance . Our first reflex after the shock, shame, anger will perhaps be to try to avoid the discomfort felt in the face of this failure. This can lead to several unhealthy behaviors that aim to avoid these emotions: hiding the failure from those around us, getting lost in drugs, alcohol or work, putting off important meetings with colleagues, not opening letters from the bank, etc.

However, to properly manage failure, the best strategy is confrontation. Facing failure is difficult, but with the moral support of our loved ones, our colleagues, our network, we are less alone. A good dose of humility in this step is important in order to seek the necessary help. Facing failure means talking about it to our friends, our colleagues, it means immediately opening the envelope that the bank had delivered to us by bailiff, showing up at the professional 5 to 7 when everyone is aware of our failure. Beware of thoughts that tell us that we must resolve this situation alone, they will often lead us down a much bumpier path.

Next, we look failure in the eye . To do this, we need to ask ourselves the right questions. Do an in-depth analysis of the events. What worked? What didn't work? What were the factors that caused my project to fail?

Once I have identified these factors, I need to determine which ones I have control over and which ones I don’t. With the factors I do have control over, I need to put myself in problem-solving mode. Did we underestimate the availability of the workforce? What can we do next time to ensure that we plan for the financial resources to have a stronger and more effective human resources team?

The factors over which I have no control are also important. I must succeed in clearly identifying them and accept that I have no control over them. Acceptance is fundamental here. Unsuccessfully launching a new range of mittens during a rainy winter; I have no control over the weather. I must accept that.

Finally, developing a healthy strategy for managing failure allows me to depersonalize it. Like all entrepreneurs, I experience failures, I am not a failure. This nuance is fundamental: failure is an event, not my identity.