Leaders are capable of recovering from failure to accomplish questionable success by utilizing strong personality traits, believing in themselves as well as their cause, and by cultivating relationships that encourage personal growth. Discussion: Leaders in every profession fail at some time in their careers. A distinction is made between those who fail and those who are failures. Those who are failures fall from high places; they recoil and do not manage to recuperate and reclaim their previous status. Those who fail understand the role that failure can have towards growth and learn from one's mistakes. These individuals utilize set-backs as springboards to propel them forward. For example, the success stories of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Anthony "Tony" Dungy demonstrate the value of viewing failure as it should be viewed -- a bump in the road to success. Each of these men battled and won against professional and personal adversity. Their lessons in the profession of arms, politics, and professional sports demonstrate the necessary factors to recover from defeat and emerge triumphant again. In exploring the concept of recovery from failure, one must consider the effects imposed by the common tragedies of life as well. Deaths, marriages, relocations, and other unexpected, emotional events impact a leader's temperament. These occurrences directly impact one's abilities or inabilities to think and act decisively when responding to failed situations. Accordingly, each of the leaders explored encountered professional failure along with personal hardship - and each successfully moved beyond those failures, to achieve future success. Conclusion: Successful leaders sometimes fail in their ventures, which is common for those striving to improve. Several actions enable successful recovery, however, continuous preparation and the ability to build on a professional foundation underpin other efforts and actions. By leveraging personal strengths, cultivating strong personal and professional friendships, intensely believing in one's abilities, and possessing a sense of purpose, anyone can turn a failed situation into a victorious end state.