It's ok to fail

It seems a rare thing to have a corporate culture where it's ok to fail.  Cultures governed by fear appear to be the norm.  It's cultures like this that breed stagnation as employees are afraid to take a risk or step out and do the right thing for fear of failure and ultimately rejection and/or demotion.  Instead, employees do the safe thing, they seek permission for everything and stop thinking for themselves.  This kills productivity and ultimately reduces customer service and satisfaction...and profits.

Cultures that are governed by encouragement, ingenuity and a passion for taking care of the customer above all else thrive.  But to do this, corporate leadership must be intentional about the culture they are creating...and modeling.  It should be OK to fail.  Employees should never get in trouble if they make a mistake because they were trying to do something for a client — leaders should want people to make decisions, not just be paralyzed.

And likewise, in our personal relationships with our co-workers and more importantly, our loved ones, we should work to create safe relationships where it's ok to make mistakes.  This creates trusting relationships that are mutually beneficial to all parties involved.  And empowers all involved to try new things, to stretch themselves, to grow, in an effort to make themselves, their relationships and their companies better and more profitable.

I tell my teams at work that a time is coming when they will make a mistake, and when that happens we will all learn from it, course correct and move on...together.

Does your company foster a culture where it's ok to fail?  Do you personally foster these kinds of relationships with those around you?

Until next time, fail fast and move on!