Positive failure

Today, I would like to talk about power of failure. Everyone here doesn’t like failure, right? Me, too. I hate failure. The fear of judgment after a failure can be daunting. Thoughts like, “If I fail, my boss might not trust me with future tasks, or people think of me as an idiot.” Such thoughts can lead us to consider playing it safe in life. But think about the implications if everyone adopted this mindset in your workplace.

Imagine you’re attending a remote meeting. Very important meeting. But due to a technical trouble, the meeting system doesn’t work. Unfortunately the person in charge isn’t an expert and cannot solve it. People around you hesitate to stand up, assuming someone else will handle it. It’s not comfortable to see, but it’s a typical case in your workplace, isn’t it? Why does this happen?

The reason is obvious. The fear of failure. The worry about what others think if you fail. To overcome such a negative mindset, we need a culture that not only tolerates failures but also applauds the effort even in the face of failure. We must foster an atmosphere that values positive attempts. But how do we create such a positive atmosphere?

Let me share a personal story of my failure from my early days. Decades ago, I participated in a remote meeting at the head office. They had just installed a new telecommunication system for the meeting. The general manager called Big Boss, who was known for his short temper, was performing his opening speech. Suddenly, some technical trouble occurred. His speech didn’t seem to be delivered. Obviously, the meeting system didn’t work. The big boss began to be irritated. But nobody moved.

I decided to try solving the problem. I stood up and pressed a button to reconnect the network system. But unexpected happened. The system began to shutdown. I pressed the shutdown button by mistake. “Oh, my Gosh. My career is over. Should I perform Harakiri like a failed samurai?” 

I’ll never forget that moment of silence. What would the big boss say? Surprisingly, the boss admired me, stating “This is a positive failure. There is nothing wrong with a good failure.” He admired my willingness to tackle the problem.
“Oh boss, I didn’t know you are such a good guy.” Anyway, his comment encouraged not only me but also all members who were there to have a mindset to tackle problems without fearing failure.

My company has a ranking system for admired personalities. Let me share you the ranking system.

• The best persons are those who have tried something and succeeded.

• The second best are those who tried and failed.

• The third are those who didn’t try but succeeded.

• The worst are those who neither tried nor failed.

The big boss exercised it. I was admired as the second - the one who tried but failed.

In Japan today, number 2, “those who have tried something but failed” comes at the bottom of the list. But I realized that it’s important for leaders to value positive failure so that we can create the positive atmosphere where people try something without fearing failure.

Since then, I have encouraged my members to challenge themselves. Even if they fail, I praise it as a positive failure. So in my workplace, members will stand up and try something even if the problems are new to us. This is the power of positive failure.

Now I hope that if I raise my hand to try a new role in our club meeting and fail, the great club members will praise it as a positive failure.

Thank you very much.