In pursuit of success one model I strive to follow is one of “continuous evolution”. I became more focused on the concept while learning about multivariate testing (a more advanced version of a-b-c testing), where variable elements are introduced and tested for conversion success on a web page.
It’s a process of experimentation, where through trial and error we test multiple images, calls to action, copy, headlines, button colors, etc. In the process there are elements that fail and succeed. The goal is to find the best possible combination of variables that deliver the most success. The lesson I take from that is that without those failures, we would have no successes.
The concept of Continuous Evolution is one that I’m interested in applying to everything I can. So, in a recent managers meeting to plan direction for the upcoming year, on a culture and leadership level I proposed we do more to embrace failure.
Instead of proposing that we encourage failure, my point is simply that in order to evolve, one must expect to make wrong turns in the process. One can either hide those failures to appear more perfect, or accept that failure is part of the learning process, and that to not share the failure and discuss what can be learned puts others at risk of making the same mistake and weakening the overall organization.
My lovely wife used to work for Red Bull. The experience made a great impression on her and she often reflects on the company’s management style and how it shaped the culture of the organization. In stark contrast to more recent company’s where she experienced cultures where ownership of failure was avoided at all cost, she found at Red Bull, not only an acceptance of failure, but even a celebration of failure. At Red Bull, employees were (and perhaps still are) encouraged to share their failures as much as their successes, so that others could learn from them and not make the same mistakes themselves. Employees were even rewarded for sharing what went wrong, especially when doing so contributed to overall improvements.
I think that regardless of the scale of the challenge, the best solution will come out of a series of failures. So long as those failures are shared and learned from, they will ensure success in the long run.
In contrast to a Six Sigma error-elimination paradigm, I pursue a continuous evolution model that embraces failure, but not any failure. Not the failures from negligence or lack of strategy. Instead I embrace failure from calculated risk taking and experimentation. Tests that are quantifiable and from which conclusions can be drawn that move us ahead.
In the words of Thomas Edison: “I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.”
More Reading:
How Failure Breeds Success : Business Week : July 06
Embracing Failure at Work : Some examples of what goes wrong when you don’t.
Embracing failure is a necessary step for successful entrepreneurs
