Summary
We're trying something new in the Rosenverse: Failure Fridays! One Friday a month you'll have the opportunity to hear a story about something that went very wrong and learn from those mistakes. And let's face it: it's always more fun to learn from someone else's failure than your own! For our first foray into schadenfreude, we're joined by author Dan Ward... Dan Ward’s book LIFT is a playful introduction to flying machines from the late 1800’s and the inspiring people who designed, built, launched, and crashed them. It is also a serious guide to innovation for 21st century problem solvers, and it’s got a lot to say about failure. In this interactive discussion, get introduced to a handful of people who tackled the seemingly impossible challenge of human flight in the decades before the Wrights. They all failed – and their failures have a lot to teach us about experimentation, collaboration, creativity, persistence, and innovation. Failure Friday's aren't recorded—keep an eye on the Rosenverse and participate in the next one!
Key Insights
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Failure as an outcome, not an identity.
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Distinguishing between types of failure: effort-based vs. preparation-based.
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Studying failures is essential for innovation and progress.
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Historical context from aviation pioneers highlights the importance of learning from failures.
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The practice of 'failure cake' can destigmatize failure in teams and foster a supportive culture.
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Effective communication about failure can promote psychological safety.
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Clear definitions of success and desired outcomes lead to better innovation results.
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Collaborative learning from each other's failures enhances knowledge sharing.
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Embracing failure can incentivize boldness and increase the willingness to take risks.
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Innovation should focus on novelty with impact.
Notable Quotes
"Failure is when effort does not produce the desired result."
"Studying failure without blame is the path to progress."
"Innovation is a team sport."
"The worst thing that could happen is we get cake."
"Failure is only the beginning."
"We should stop gluing feathers to our wings."
"The goal of experiments isn't to make things work, it's to learn."
"What are we celebrating? We're celebrating the attempt."
"If you want to innovate, provide psychological safety."
"Failure is a shared experience that destigmatizes the process."
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