Too many companies treat every failure the same. That makes people more cautious, more guarded, and less willing to take the smart risks innovation requires.
Amy Edmondson argues that not all failures deserve the same label. Some are preventable. Some come with complexity. Then there is intelligent failure, the kind that comes with thoughtful experimentation in new territory and produces the learning that moves innovation forward.
In this episode, Drew Neisser brings in Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, author of Right Kind of Wrong, to look at what leaders need to do if they want teams experimenting and learning in unfamiliar territory. For Amy, that starts with a clear goal, a bet no bigger than necessary, and the kind of questions that create enough psychological safety for people to share what they’re seeing early. So even when the result falls short, the learning is still useful.
What You’ll Take Away:
- The difference between preventable, complex, and intelligent failure
- Why intelligent failure belongs in new territory
- What makes an experiment smart, small, and worth running
- Why high achievers often need a better frame for failure
- How playing not to lose distorts innovation
What This Asks of Leaders:
- Stop treating every miss as proof someone messed up
- Make the goal clear before the experiment starts
- Keep the bet no bigger than necessary
- Ask questions that invite candor instead of caution
If your team needs a smarter way to think about failure, risk, and learning, this one is worth a listen.