This is an unsolicited perspective and advice. As such you may not want to hear it right now, but I’m going to provide it anyway. This is for just this team (yes Chance you too).
First and foremost you are going through a lot of emotions right now that are probably clouding your rational thoughts. You are disappointed, you feel like you’ve failed, you are each assuming personal responsibility for this outcome. You are also exhausted. You’ve been working like madmen so you probably haven’t been taking care of yourselves — not exercising, not eating, maybe even having one beer too many after last night.
First and foremost, yes the deadline was missed and our submission didn’t go it. That’s a “miss”, but its not a failure when you consider you efforts within the larger context of the Chingu “platform” and what we have set out to accomplish. Missing the submission deadline is a disappointment after all of your hard work, but in this larger context it’s a huge win for the Chingu’s.
Not only will the CDN be better due to your efforts, but you’ve also set the direction for the organization for the foreseeable future. You’ve established not just the technical foundation to run the mechanics of the organization, but far more importantly you’ve formalized our purpose, vision, and practices. This is a huge win and each and every one of you is to be commended for what you’ve accomplished!
Don’t downplay this and certainly don’t downplay your contribution. What you’ve produced is something every Chingu should view and should be one of the first things if not THE first thing provided to new members. You’ve helped fertilize the roots of the Chingu tree to enable it to grow stronger and taller.
So what should you do next? First, take a day to decompress. Take care of yourselves. Relax. Unwind. In a day or two conduct a retrospective starting with the “5 Why’s”. Keep it simple and let each question develop from its predecessor. Start with “Why did we run out of time?” and drill down from there. Use what you’ve learned to prepare for what comes next. Use this exercise to drive improvement.
Having already written far too much I’m going to challenge you with the following:
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What other competitions and opportunities are out there that we should be taking advantage of?
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Are there any organizations or sources of information we should be leveraging to uncover similar opportunities?
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Share this experience and the lessons learned with the organization. Use this as a “teaching moment”.
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Is a playbook needed for tasks such as video & audio production to make the next effort less stressful?
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Are there any other tasks such as the above where a playbook would improve efficiency?
I’ve made many mistakes in my career and I will make many more. And so will you. Beating yourself up is a natural reaction because you are dedicated, mature, and hold yourselves to a higher standard. This is what sets you apart. But the single factor that distinguishes great leaders from average leaders is the great ones accept and embrace mistakes and failures and use the lessons learned to continuously improve and to make the next idea better. Each of you is a great leader!