Failing Up: Leadership Lessons from Dr. Jim Margetts

Failure is one of the most universal human experiences—and one of the least openly discussed, particularly among high-achieving students. During a recent Emerging Eagle Leaders (EEL) session at Chadron State College, participants explored this challenging topic through a candid and deeply personal presentation by Jim Margetts Ph.D, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts.

The session reflected the mission of the Emerging Eagle Leaders program: to develop students who are prepared for the realities of leadership, including setbacks, self-doubt, and failure. Rather than focusing solely on success stories, EEL intentionally creates space for honest conversations that build resilience, empathy, and long-term leadership capacity.

Dr. Margetts has been part of Chadron State College since 2004, spending ten years as faculty before transitioning into administration in 2014. As dean, he oversees seven academic programs within the School of Liberal Arts and works closely with faculty on teaching, student success, hiring, classroom observations, and feedback. It was through leadership meetings on campus that Chantel Merchen learned of his story and invited him to share it with Emerging Eagle Leaders as an example of how failure can shape meaningful leadership.

Early Identity and the Pressure of Perfection

Born in Seattle and raised in Salt Lake City, Dr. Margetts was the oldest child in his family and a self-described perfectionist. At six years old, he began piano lessons at his mother’s encouragement while also playing Little League baseball at his father’s urging. After a summer of confusion on the field and impatient coaching, he decided baseball was not for him. Piano was.

Music came naturally. By age eight, he was accompanying school plays and musicals. By ten, he was winning competitions. Piano became central to his identity. Academically, he pursued straight A’s and rejected the idea—once suggested by a teacher—that earning a C could sometimes allow for deeper learning than striving for perfection. As a senior with a 4.0 GPA, perfection still felt attainable.

That belief changed abruptly when he missed a biology deadline late in his senior year. Despite his strong reputation, the teacher did not make an exception. He finished the course with a C+, losing the opportunity to be valedictorian or salutatorian. In a single moment, the idea of being perfect disappeared—and with it, the identity he had built around achievement.

College, Comparison, and the First Failure

College introduced new challenges. Surrounded by peers who were just as talented—or more so—comparison set in. Poor advice led him to believe that attending class was optional as long as exams were completed. He struggled socially, carried a low self-image, and misunderstood many aspects of college life.

During this time, early home computers were emerging. Using an Apple IIe program that generated personalized workout routines, he enrolled in a weightlifting class. When he couldn’t meet the benchmarks the program suggested, discouragement took hold. He stopped attending class and earned his first failing grade.

That F triggered a downward spiral. He missed more classes, lost scholarships—including a full four-year tuition scholarship—and was placed on academic probation during his first semester. Though he retook the class and passed, the pattern continued. He accumulated failing grades, dropped minors, retook courses, and “muddled through” college without the certainty he once had.

Graduate School and Losing the One Thing That Defined Him

Despite setbacks, Dr. Margetts was accepted into graduate school in New York for music. He shifted his focus from solo performance to collaborative piano. Within two months, intense anxiety developed. His hands began to tremble from fear of missing notes.

One October day, his instructor closed the piano lid and told him plainly, “You’re just not cut out for this.”

The moment was devastating. Piano—the one thing he believed defined his worth—was suddenly gone. He left the room, went home, and cried for days. When he called his parents for support, he learned his father had just lost his job and was starting a business. The financial safety net he had relied on no longer existed.

He packed up his belongings and moved into his parents’ basement, which he described as the epitome of failure.

Depression, Rejection, and the Power of Being Seen

Dr. Margetts tried to find work outside of music and faced repeated rejection. Depression followed. He briefly worked as a substitute middle school teacher, where students mocked him, including for needing his mother to pick him up after school because he didn’t have a car.

Eventually, he found part-time work at a public library and a dry cleaner. As he shared this portion of his story, many Emerging Eagle Leaders nodded in recognition, seeing reflections of their own struggles or those of people they care about.

The turning point did not come from advice or solutions, but from acceptance.

An older friend, someone he had once accompanied musically, stopped by his parents’ home unexpectedly with her two young children and a carton of pralines-and-cream ice cream. She didn’t ask what was wrong. She simply talked with him. In that moment, Dr. Margetts realized he could be valued for who he was, not what he produced.

This distinction, separating identity from performance, became a critical step in healing.

Later, a mentor figure took him to a festival where a choir sang. During one song, he felt music move him again for the first time in nearly a year. He realized he could not erase music from his life. It was part of who he was, even if his path forward looked different.

Leadership Lessons for Emerging Eagle Leaders

The session concluded with leadership lessons rooted in lived experience. Lessons that directly align with the goals of the Emerging Eagle Leaders program:

• Failure is inevitable; every leader fails at some point.
• Failure should never define who you are.
• Do not accept labels placed on you by others or by yourself.
• Silence the inner voice that fuels self-sabotage.

One practical strategy shared during the session was to give that negative inner voice a name that is not your own, making it easier to shut it down without turning frustration inward.

For Emerging Eagle Leaders, this conversation reinforced an essential truth: leadership is not about avoiding failure, but about how one responds when things go wrong. It is about showing up for others without trying to “fix” them, recognizing when someone needs presence rather than solutions, and understanding that growth often comes from the most uncomfortable moments.

By centering this session on failure, the Emerging Eagle Leaders program demonstrated its commitment to developing leaders who are resilient, self-aware, and empathetic. Through stories like Dr. Margetts’, EEL participants are learning that failure is not the end of the story. It is often where meaningful leadership begins.