Embrace Failure
Research shows that failure is essential for innovation, learning and creativity.
Many of the most innovative products and ideas have come about as a result of failure.
The Post-it® was invented when a chemist at 3M accidentally created a weak adhesive that could be removed and reapplied without damaging paper.
The pacemaker was developed after a doctor noticed that an electrical device used to treat atrial fibrillation was also causing the patient's heart to beat regularly.
The microwave oven was invented when an engineer accidentally melted a chocolate bar in his pocket while working on a radar device.
Failure can lead to innovation and creativity. But how?
Failure forces us to reconsider what we know. When something doesn't work as planned, we “return to the drawing board” to come up with new ideas and solutions. This can lead to creative breakthroughs we never would have thought of if we hadn't failed in the first place.
When we fail, we learn what doesn't work. This knowledge can help us to avoid making the same mistakes in the future, in the same context — e.g., melting your only chocolate bar
Failure can also build resilience and perseverance. When we overcome failure, we learn that we are capable of confronting and overcoming challenges. When leaders celebrate team failures as opportunities for learning, this can create the psychological safety and confidence necessary for employees and teams to take risks and try new things.
Of course, failure is not always easy to deal with. The environment, industry and leadership can make failure harder to overcome. Failure can be frustrating, disappointing, even embarrassing. But it’s important to remember that failure is a normal part of learning and innovation.
Tips for embracing failure:
Change your mindset. Practice non-attachment. Instead of seeing failure as something to be avoided, see it as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Don't be afraid to experiment. The more you experiment, the more likely you are to fail. Statistics! But you are also more likely to come up with new and innovative ideas.
Learn from your failures. When you fail, take some time to analyze what went wrong and why. What can you do differently next time?
Don't give up. Surround yourself with people who won’t let you give up. Failure is a normal part of the innovation process. Don't let it discourage you from pursuing your ideas.
Organizations that have embraced failure:
Google has a culture of innovation based on the idea that it is better to "fail fast, fail often." This means employees are encouraged to experiment and take calculated risks, even if it means that not every experiment succeeds. Android team experimentations led to the development of features including the ability to customize and install apps from outside of the official app store. Android is now the most popular mobile operating system in the world. The culture paid off.
Steve Jobs was known for his willingness to fail. Though he was also know for extremely high standards, Jobs believed failure was essential for innovation. In a 2005 interview with The New York Times, Jobs said: "Failure is a part of life. Everyone fails. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes and keep going. If you're not afraid to fail, you're more likely to innovate and succeed." A willingness to fail have helped Apple technology change the world.
NASA is known for its culture of innovation and risk-taking. The agency has a long history of failures, but has also achieved some of the most groundbreaking scientific achievements in human history. The Challenger disaster in 1986 (which some of us watched on TVs in the classroom) was a major setback for NASA, but the agency learned from its mistakes and came back stronger. In the decades since the Challenger disaster, NASA has launched Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour, the Hubble Telescope, the James Webb Telescope, the International Space Station, and Mars rovers including Pathfinder, Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance.
Leaders can create a culture that embraces failure.
If you are a leader, you can drive innovation and creative problem-solving by encouraging your employees to experiment, take risks, and learn from their failures.
Be transparent about failure. Share stories of failure with your team and talk about what you learned from them. This will help to normalize failure and make it feel less taboo.
Celebrate failure. When your employees fail, don't punish them. Instead, celebrate values-based approaches. celebrate efforts and encourage them to learn from their mistakes.
Provide resources and time for learning. Give your employees access to the resources they need to learn new skills and have cross-functional conversations. Seeing a problem to solve in a new context can lead to innovative applications of currently shelved ideas.
Create a safe space for experimentation. Make sure that your employees feel comfortable experimenting and taking risks without fear of judgment or job security.
Reward innovation and creativity. Recognize your employees for new ideas and solutions.
Agile / Design thinking / Rapid prototyping / Minimum viable product (MVP)