The WOW journey isn’t a straight climb towards leadership nirvana. WOW leaders aren’t perfect—nor should they be. Moments of DUD behavior or lapses in WOW judgment happen to everyone at one time or another—because people are, after all, human. But with the recent suicide of Robin Williams—someone I consider to be a WOW in many ways—I started to wonder how often isolated DUD moments cause WOWs to become derailed. Can unforeseen or unintended DUD incidents cause otherwise WOW individuals to reach a breaking point where they ultimately give up?

No one knows for certain why Robin Williams took his own life—but it stands to reason that in some way he became overwhelmed by what he perceived to be the DUD moments of his life. I don’t claim to understand depression, nor would I suggest that suicide can somehow be explained or defined in terms of poor leadership attributes. But perhaps there is something to be learned from the unique way in which individuals process failures, setbacks, and fears. What sets one person off doesn’t necessarily affect another. What causes one person to shut down might not faze someone else. So, when it comes to WOW leadership, the inevitable imperfect moments can impact people in very different ways. They can either be interpreted as little more than a blip or an obstacle that needs to be overcome, or they can be path-altering and overwhelming in a way that eventually leads to DUD.

Whether there’s a connection or not, Robin Williams’ TV show The Crazy Ones was cancelled a few months ago. There has been some speculation that the failure may have triggered the downward spiral that led to the comic’s demise. If this was the case, then a lifetime of WOW achievements and successful movies and TV shows was thrown off course by a DUD moment. And then for whatever reason, the WOW became immobilized and the DUD took hold and never let go.

When DUD moments occur, some drown in them, while others can move past them and find new ways to WOW. For instance, Michael J. Fox is no stranger to setbacks and challenges. His recent return to sitcom TV ended with The Michael J. Fox Show being canceled after just 15 of the network-ordered 22 episodes were aired. It’s safe to assume that the veteran actor had hoped for a WOW hit show, and not a cancelled DUD series. But instead of giving in to defeat, he pressed on, essentially licking his wounds rather than let them devastate him. He did not wallow in self-pity over a disappointing “return to TV sitcoms” that so many had anticipated—he kept moving forward, reprising his recurring role on the hit series The Good Wife. Michael J. Fox had a DUD moment—but he remained a WOW.

For you as a leader, keep in mind that DUD moments do not equal DUD leadership. You might stumble—no, you WILL stumble—during the course of your career. You may make poor decisions, lead your team in the wrong direction, or veer off the course you had once intended—but that doesn’t mean all is lost. If there’s WOW within you, and you keep tethered to that WOW in your heart and in your mind, you will find the strength to move past those DUD moments.

They say that in order to feel love, you must know hate; to feel happy, you must know sadness; and to appreciate what you have, you must experience loss. In the same way, in order to truly be successful, you must know failure. When you face those DUD moments, those dark times that make you question your abilities, your motivations, and your worth—you must turn from that darkness and find a new light to illuminate the path along your WOW journey. After all, success and failure are both journeys, not destinations—and having DUD moments is simply a part of that journey. The question is: which way will you go?

–Sheri Staak