Jenn Drummond is not just an inspiring entrepreneur; she is a world record-holding mountaineer, a leadership speaker, an author, and a mother of seven. Her life, shaped by both triumph and adversity, embodies the essence of leadership that goes beyond mere achievement and success. It is a leadership rooted in grace, in allowing others to grow through their failures, and in the belief that true strength comes not from avoiding mistakes but from embracing them.
Jenn Drummond’s journey as a leader has been as much about personal growth as it has been about guiding others. In a recent LinkedIn post, she shared a powerful story from her entrepreneurial days, one that reveals much about her approach to leadership. Jenn Drummond reflected on a time when her team was working on a project, one that she knew had a clear flaw. While she could have stepped in to prevent the inevitable failure, she made a bold decisionshe allowed her team member to experience the setback.
“Jenn Drummond,” as a leader, knew that the lesson this person needed to learn was not in avoiding failure, but in growing from it. It was a decision that showcased her understanding that leadership is not about controlling outcomes, but about nurturing the people who are part of the journey. This single moment, in which she let a team member’s idea falter, became an invaluable teaching experience. It wasn’t about the project’s outcome; it was about the person.
The lesson Jenn Drummond imparted in that moment was clear: leadership is grace under failure. True leaders, like Jenn Drummond, understand that failure is not something to be feared or avoided. Rather, it is something to be embraced, not just for the individual’s growth but for the growth of the entire team. She showed her team member that even when things don’t go according to plan, the most important thing is resiliencethe ability to bounce back stronger from adversity.
As Jenn Drummond explained, this was a lesson that transcended the immediate task at hand. It was about the long-term growth of the individual. By giving her team member the space to fail, Jenn Drummond showed that leadership is about fostering an environment where people can grow, learn, and develop their resilience. This approach, which puts people over projects, is a hallmark of Jenn Drummond’s leadership style. Her actions were not about winning in the moment; they were about preparing her team for success in the future.
Through her actions, Jenn Drummond taught an invaluable leadership lesson: great leaders don’t just aim to win projectsthey aim to grow people. A leader’s true measure of success is not the outcome of a single project, but the growth of the individuals they lead. By allowing her team member to experience failure, Jenn Drummond empowered them to take ownership of their learning process, to embrace failure as a natural part of growth, and to rise stronger from it.
This moment is a reflection of Jenn Drummond’s broader approach to leadership and life. As a world record-holding mountaineer, she knows that the greatest challenges often come with the most difficult lessons. Climbing some of the world’s highest peaks is not only about physical strength but about mental resiliencethe ability to push through when things seem impossible. This mentality is something Jenn Drummond has carried with her into her entrepreneurial ventures and as a mother of seven.
Jenn Drummond’s leadership style is rooted in her belief that people are capable of more than they think, and that growth often comes from the most difficult of experiences. By letting her team member face failure, she created an opportunity for growth, resilience, and personal development. In the same way, her approach to mountaineering requires the willingness to face obstacles head-on and the understanding that not every summit is reached on the first attempt. The journey itself, with all its failures and challenges, is what truly builds strength.
So, as Jenn Drummond posed in her LinkedIn post, the real question is: Are you willing to let your people fall, knowing they’ll rise stronger? It is a question that challenges the very nature of leadership. To be a true leader, one must have the courage to let others fail and trust that they will learn from it. It requires patience, grace, and an unwavering belief in the potential of others. This is what Jenn Drummond embodies: leadership that is not about holding others to a standard of perfection, but about showing them the way through imperfection and teaching them to rise, no matter how many times they fall.
Jenn Drummond’s leadership lessons remind us that the essence of great leadership lies in helping others navigate their failures and come out stronger on the other side. It is about creating spaces where people feel safe to try, to stumble, and to grow. Through her actions, Jenn Drummond has shown us that leadership isn’t just about the accolades or the successesit’s about the grace and resilience we show others as they climb their own mountains.
In closing, Jenn Drummond has proven time and time again that leadership is not defined by victories alone but by the willingness to guide others through their failures. As we reflect on her story, we are reminded that great leaders are those who grow people, not just projects. And in that growth, they create the foundation for true success.
