Freedom to Fail

Rarely do the most brilliant successes come from an epiphany striking like a lightning bolt. More often than not, they emerge from spectacular failures – those pursuits that were fought for and won through steady persistence, and honed through trial and error. In a company or organization, establishing a culture that is safe for people to explore, pursue, test, and fail is crucial for impactful growth. This is how we reach our most ambitious goals, we take risks and act boldly. Only then can we truly innovate. This, at times, can seem reckless, so there also must be systems in place to help people avoid making the same mistake twice – though each unique mistake and failure is a learning opportunity. It helps us experiment, understand, get feedback, build, and ultimately refine the best path forward.

Life itself is a process of trial and error… And those people who make no mistakes are those who make nothing. 

–ALFRED P. SLOAN