As I mentioned in a previous post I stole this line from Mythbusters, which was one of my favorite shows. The thing about failure is that it is a data point. There’s this famous quote from Thomas Edison:
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work
Thomas Edison
When you look at failure not as something bad, but rather as something to learn from, you will on the whole be more successful. I’ve had many successes at my previous job, and most people don’t remember the failures. I do.
I remember all the projects that I couldn’t get off the ground or implement. I remember the product lines I brought in and thought they would sell that we ended up marking down. I remember the new hires we thought would be great that only lasted a month.
However, on the whole, I left that company better than I found it. Way better. The key is to allow yourself to take risks. Now I don’t mean “bet everything on black” type of risks, but small risks that can have big impacts.
One of my least favorite phrases is, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” I prefer the line from Black Panther where the titular hero’s sister says in response to the fact she upgraded some tech and he says it works fine:
Just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.
Shuri from Marvel’s Black Panther
This will tie into another of my favorite ideas, Constant Improvement thru Incremental Changes. But for now, I just wanted to point out that fear of failure is the primary reason most people don’t take risks, and the “ain’t broke” mantra is an easy justification.
Keeping the FIAAO (Failure Is Always An Option) idea in your head will also help you be a better manager. When you see an employee’s failure as a learning experience, you allow your people to also take risks. At my old company, we had two distinct departments with two very different ways of leading. One told you what to do and if you did it differently, or did something without being told (or took initiative), you were reprimanded. The other allowed you to do what you thought best and as long as you told us about it, we were fine with it or would make a suggestion. Guess which department had more people wanting to help, came up with innovative ideas, and increased sales? (Mine, was that not clear?)
Did people make mistakes, of course, but we corrected them and explained what happened and what we learned. But by giving people the ability to come up with their own solutions to problems, they were more willing to take ownership. With us not only giving them freedom but not punishing them when they did do something wrong, we got more ideas.
I remember walking into a store and see how this store had created what is called an “In-Store Window” (basically what looks like a window display you’d see if you were walking downtown past shops only it’s inside). No one told the manager to do this, she took the initiative and rallied the entire store’s employees to participate. We expanded it to all stores and it became a competition to see who could create the best display. We even granted each store a small amount to spend on props. Morale went up, sales increased, and customers came by to see what the next display would look like. All because one person had an idea and the freedom to execute it.
FIAAO is also about trust. It both gives it and builds it. I once told my partner Andrea that when making a decision I would defer to her, because it means she’ll keep coming up with ideas. I had the power to do everything my way, but what would that have done to her? She would most certainly never suggested anything. What would be the point? However, by almost always deferring to her, when I needed to veto, she would accept and still provide ideas. When something went wrong, I accepted responsibility. I didn’t blame her, because that also would have stifled creativity.
Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Pass the credit, take the blame. It’s a simple concept and one that FIAAO embraces. In fact, I don’t think one can implement FIAAO without it. So as you look toward your business, try to add a little FIAAO thinking and see where it takes you.
Joe Robles 