Failure is uncomfortable — but ignored failure is costly.

In this episode of the Engineer Your Success Podcast, Dr. James Bryant revisits a powerful framework for turning setbacks into meaningful growth. Building on last week’s conversation about recognizing wins and success autopsies, this episode explores the other side of the equation: using failure as feedback.

Rather than avoiding failure or beating yourself up over it, James walks through a practical, engineering-minded approach to learning from what didn’t work — so the experience doesn’t get wasted. Through real-world professional and personal examples, he introduces the concept of the Failure Resume and shows how leaders can extract insight, build better systems, and move forward with clarity.

• When failure isn’t really failure — and what actually matters
• Why being right isn’t the same as being effective
• How to analyze setbacks without blame or shame
• The Failure Resume as a framework for learning
• How to apply root-cause thinking to leadership challenges
• Why lessons from work often strengthen life at home — and vice versa

• 00:00 — Introduction and Context
• 01:18 — Revisiting Past Lessons
• 02:30 — The Failure Resume Concept
• 02:45 — Personal Story: Leadership and Communication
• 06:32 — Analyzing Failures Objectively
• 07:37 — Using the Failure Resume
• 12:07 — Professional Example: Technical Presentation
• 13:44 — Personal Example: Time Management
• 16:03 — Conclusion and Homework

📄 Request Your Updated Year-in-Review Template
Email James at james@engineeryoursuccessnow.com

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One story. One insight. One action to help you lead with intention.
🔗 engineeryoursuccessnow.com/insiders

🎙️ Podcast Hub
All episodes, player links, and highlights.
🔗 sleekbio.com/eyspod

Before you set goals for the new year, there are three questions every leader must ask. Most engineering leaders jump straight into planning—only to base next year’s goals on whatever they didn’t accomplish this year.

In this episode, Dr. James Bryant walks you through a simpler, kinder, and far more effective approach to your year-end review. Rather than focusing on the gaps, you’ll learn how to uncover the hidden wins that have been shaping your growth all year long.

This re-air of Episode 169 (“Essential Steps to Unlocking Hidden Wins and Mastering Your Year in Review”) is the perfect reset as you prepare to win at work and at home in 2026.

Whether this is your first formal review or one of many, this episode will help you slow down, reflect with compassion, and set goals from a place of clarity—not pressure.

• Why most year-end reviews leave leaders discouraged instead of energized
• The three simple questions that reveal the progress you’ve been overlooking
• How to prepare your mindset and environment for an honest, grace-filled review
• Why celebrating “mini milestones” builds confidence and momentum
• How to perform a Success Autopsy to understand why something worked
• How to turn one-time wins into repeatable habits and systems
• Why reflection is one of the best investments you can make in yourself

00:00 – Why most leaders focus on what they didn’t accomplish
01:30 – The three questions that create clarity for the new year
04:00 – Preparing your mindset and space for a meaningful review
07:00 – The power of celebrating “mini milestones”
10:00 – How to run a simple success autopsy
14:00 – Turning reflection into action for the year ahead

📄 Request Your Updated Year-in-Review Template
Email James at james@engineeryoursuccessnow.com

🎧 Private Podcast: Engineer Your Success Insiders
One story. One insight. One action to help you lead with intention.
🔗 engineeryoursuccessnow.com/insiders

🎙️ Podcast Hub
All episodes, player links, and highlights.
🔗 sleekbio.com/eyspod

🎧 Episode Overview (EP 221)

The construction and engineering industries are changing—but inclusion hasn’t always kept pace. In this episode, Dr. James Bryant sits down with Dr. Gretchen Gagel, founder of Women Thriving in Construction Global Institute and author of Building Women Leaders: A Blueprint for Women Thriving in Construction.

With over 40 years in the industry, Gretchen shares lessons from her leadership journey—spanning construction, consulting, and academia—and reveals what it really takes for women and their allies to lead and thrive in environments that haven’t always welcomed diversity.

Together, they explore practical allyship, burnout and balance, dominant culture, and how to build workplaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work.

“If you’re not going to back yourself, no one else will.” — Dr. Gretchen Gagel

Whether you’re in construction, engineering, or any technical field, this conversation will challenge how you think about leadership, inclusion, and sustainable success.

🧭 What You’ll Learn

• Why inclusion challenges persist across engineering and construction
• What “dominant culture” really means—and how empathy drives change
• Daily examples of allyship for men and leaders
• How women can overcome perfectionism and guilt to avoid burnout
• The power of asking for help and leading with authenticity
• How leadership growth carries into home life and personal wellbeing

🔩 Episode Highlights

00:00 – Welcome + Gretchen’s story and motivation for her book
04:00 – Dominant culture, inclusion, and empathy in engineering and construction
09:00 – Simple acts of allyship that change workplace culture
11:00 – Burnout, balance, and redefining success
15:00 – Asking for help and leading authentically
19:00 – Creating the Women Thriving in Construction Global Institute
22:00 – Encouragement for women whose careers have stalled
24:00 – James on living intentionally and bringing your whole self to work

🔗 Connect with Dr. Gretchen Gagel
🌐 gretchengagel.com
🌐 womenthrivinginconstruction.org
📘 Building Women Leaders: A Blueprint for Women Thriving in Construction (Available on Amazon)

🎧 More Ways to Connect

Private Podcast: Engineer Your Success Insiders
One story. One insight. One action to help you lead with intention.
🔗 engineeryoursuccessnow.com/insiders

Podcast Hub: sleekbio.com/eyspod
LinkedIn: Dr. James Bryant

🌟 Engineer Your Success — Dr. James Bryant

Success isn’t just about results—it’s about building a life shaped by your values.
Dr. James Bryant helps engineering and technical leaders create systems that bring clarity, confidence, and balance so they can win at work and at home.

www.engineeryoursuccessnow.com