How to Fail Successfully

In the spirit of experimentation, there is no chance of failure because the focus is on testing a hypothesis, not a good or bad outcome.

Adopt the Proper Intention—Be in Wonderment

Before you embark on an experiment to discover new capabilities adopt the intention—’Be in wonderment. You have no idea of what you are capable of accomplishing. Be in wonderment!”

Wonderment is the perfect psychological state to pursue fresh opportunities or challenging goals. You do not rely on past evidence to anticipate what you might accomplish. Instead, you seize the occasion to reveal your hidden abilities and grit.

4 Steps of Safe-to-Fail Self-Experiments

Generate wonderment as you engage in these four steps:

Step 1: Devise a bold hypothesis for pursuing challenging goals.

Most limits are self-imposed by the comfort zones we unconsciously fabricate. It’s comfortable to extrapolate from your past results by setting “realistic” goals. Spare the comfort of being realistic for this safe-to-fail experiment!

Here are examples of bold hypotheses—innovative behavior changes and course corrections–from my group of Intrepid Freedom Crusaders:

I will change my team members’ quarterly performance reviews to assess two factors:

• goals to accomplish + required behavior changes
• comfort zones to demolish + ineffective behaviors to stop doing.
  (Andy Tysler, Sales Director, Santa Margherita USA)

I will teach mindset mastery skills as part of my college math classes to help students overcome their “I suck at math mentality.” I will depart from the tried-and-true methods in the classroom and run the risk of bad student evaluations. (Daphne Scott, Senior Instructor, Western Washington University)

Be in wonderment to blow your mind with a display of outright boldness!

Step 2: Conduct experimental trials to test a hypothesis.

Experimental terminology is perfect—trial and error—not trial and failure. Each trial is an opportunity to observe a performance to assess what works, then make process improvements with each ensuing trial.

Be in wonderment to revise your process for achieving desired results.

Step 3: Develop valuable lessons learned from your outcomes, especially failures.

Here are a few classic questions to generate valuable lessons learned:

• How was I able to shift from a victim mindset to an accountability mindset?
• What beneficial changes did I test in departing from my customary approach?
• How did I overestimate or underestimate my capabilities?
• What worked in my style of communication and what would I adjust?

Be in wonderment to capitalize on lessons learned from failing to achieve your desired outcomes.

Step 4: Generate ripple effects.

Instead of applying lessons learned in succeeding trials of a single experiment, be alert for broader applications. Consider this question: What are comparable comfort zones where your lesson learned apply so you increase your overall capacity for resilience?

Be in wonderment to spread your application of valuable learnings from experiments.