I recently read an article titled “Why I Hire People Who Fail” with an interesting perspective on failure. The author shared the story behind his company’s failure wall at the office where employees wrote about a time they’ve failed and what they learned from the experience. As the author, Jeff Stibel, explains: “We don’t just encourage risk taking at our offices: we demand failure. If you’re not failing every now and then, you’re probably not advancing. Mistakes are the predecessors to both innovation and success, so it is important to celebrate mistakes as a central component of any culture.”
Failure is an uncomfortable, unnerving, and disappointing experience, but through failure, we learn how to approach and avoid similar situations in the future. As Stibel says, it’s also a way to make sure you are expanding your boundaries and learning.
In the same aspect, business owners should hire people who aren’t afraid to fail, but know how to learn from mistakes and move forward. Business owners should also hire those who are not afraid to admit their failures, which demonstrates they understand failures are a part of the learning process.
What have you failed at recently? What did you learn from it?
