Are you a leader who wants to help your team learn to risk more and fail well? In this episode, Harvard Business School professor Amy C. Edmondson sits down with our Jason Jaggard to unpack her research behind her latest book, The Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well. Their conversation includes the difference between a mistake and a failure, the 3 categories of failures, and how to encourage a team to experiment and learn quickly.
IN THIS EPISODE
- What is Amy’s background, and what was her path to being a professor at Harvard Business School?
- How do you define “psychological safety”?
- How do we overcome our tendency to be blind to our own shortcomings?
LISTEN
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS
- You’re here on earth to make things better.
- High performing teams do not make more mistakes; they are simply more willing to report them.
- Psychological safety is NOT “being comfortable.” It’s feeling permission for candor and making mistakes.
- “Safety” does not mean “the absence of risk or danger,” but the willingness to risk.
- In a changing world, our ability to learn together is mission critical.
- There is a difference between a mistake and failure. A mistake is a unintentional deviation from a known practice; a failure is simply an undesired result.
- All failure is not equal. There are (a) basic failures; (b) complex failures; and (c) intelligent failures.
- An intelligent failure is: an undesired result of a thoughtful foray into new territory. It’s also as small as possible.
- Always choose learning over “knowing”.
- In a situation that’s brand new for your team, it’s important for a leader to:
- Acknowledge that it’s brand new
- Encourage team to experiment (and learn) quickly
- If you’re leading someone who is a high performer but working in a new context, encourage them to (a) aim high; (b) team up; (c) fail well; (d) learn fast; and repeat.
LINKS + RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Book: Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well (Amazon.com)
- Website: Amy’s Website
- Website: Buckminster Fuller (Britannica)
- Website: Team365
- Website: Global Leadership Summit 2025
- Website: Global Leadership Network
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SPONSOR
- This episode sponsored by ECFA Leadership Standard.
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