It has become commonly accepted that it is impossible to innovate and “think about the box” without experimentation. But, the trouble with experiments is that they don’t work if you aren’t willing to fail.
So, in a bid to unconsciously avoid failure and play safe, we talk about innovation without committing to experimentation.
And, the long-term result, funnily enough, is failure.
One approach to making failures acceptable, then, is to talk about it. Instead of focusing publicly on “wins,” talk about failures and lessons learnt. Instead of asking – “Did we win,” ask “What did we fail at lately and what did we learn?”
The more we talk about failure, the more acceptable it will become.
And, ironically, the easier it will become to avoid failure in the long run.
A Learning a Day 