Afraid of failure!?!? → The reason of your failure!
Managers tend to be afraid of failure, which totally prevents your path to be innovative. Failure should rather be associated as a learning experience!
Nearly every attempt at success is met with failures along the way. Properly managing those failures can actually benefit the innovation process. As an innovative manager, do they celebrate failure and risk-taking in their organization?? Doing so will surely broaden views and lead to more valuable ideas towards a culture of sustainable innovation.
Do believe in my equation - Innovation = Creativity x Risk-taking!
The bigger the innovation means the greater the chance of failure, but who cares of a bigger chance of failure!?!? Managers should let their people feel safe to fail, but empower them to do their best work. Note here, I’m not saying that employees should have a 100% aim to fail but instead saying that they should have in mind that “failure is not a failure”.
Trust is an important word here. Trust between managers and employees will encourage a willingness to take risks and move towards on the path to innovation. Trust will let employees be encouraged. Encourage them even more, doing so by clearly communicate the risk profile that should be adopted and state its importance for the organizations’ success.
So, a real innovation champion doesn’t just award successful ideas, but encourages a tolerance for failure and enthusiasm for risk-taking while associate it as a learning experience! Outcomes are uncertain, but that uncertainty cannot result in paralysis. If it does, then there is no reason to try; you might as well pack it up and go home!!! Without risks, there can be no innovation. Fear of failure can kill innovation.
Were Steve Jobs and his successful Apple afraid of failing??? No, wouldn’t think so! He showed us the blood and guts of innovation. He was a real innovation champion being unafraid to fail, having the ability to take risk and not being held back by the possibilities. I bet he got life lessons that can only come from trying, failing, learning, and trying again.
“The Gift of Steve Jobs - No Fear of Failure” (Burnison, 2011, CNBC)
The only real failure, after all, is failing to fail. Without a few failures under your belt, you haven’t really stretched yourself. You’re not really in the game. Victory belongs to those who give their all! And that, indeed, is a life of leadership well lived. Great leaders understand that the far bigger danger is not taking risks, but rather excluding the risks.
Alright, it feels like I should bring up leadership in the context of innovation but postponing it to my next post!
Speak to you soon! Peace!
