Failure Narrative

Optimizing public and private failures to build the narrative for your team

Promoting a culture that values learning from failure is essential for innovation and growth within any team. However, managers often grapple with a critical decision: should a failure be shared openly with the wider organization or kept within the confines of the team? This choice isn’t merely about transparency; it’s a strategic decision that shapes the narrative surrounding the team’s work, influences how the team is perceived, and affects its ability to turn setbacks into opportunities for advancement.

The way a manager chooses to surface and process failures can either enhance the team's learning and innovation or hinder its progress. By intentionally deciding which failures to share publicly and which to keep private, managers can craft a narrative that supports their team's goals and aligns with the organization's culture.

Public failures are those visible beyond the immediate team. They can be advantageous for several reasons:

1. Setting a Precedent of Momentum: Sharing failures openly demonstrates that the team is active and engaged in pushing boundaries. For example, when a software development team publicly shares the lessons learned from a failed feature rollout, it signals to the organization that they are innovating and not afraid to tackle challenging projects.

2. Enhancing Coordination Between Teams: Public failures provide other teams with insights into your team's explorations. Suppose a marketing team experiments with a new campaign strategy that doesn't yield the expected results. By sharing this outcome, other teams can avoid similar pitfalls or build upon the findings, fostering a collaborative environment.

3. Normalizing Failure: When failures are shared openly, it helps to destigmatize them. This openness can encourage a culture where employees feel safe to take calculated risks, knowing that failures are viewed as learning opportunities rather than solely negative outcomes.

However, public failures must be carefully communicated because they are essentially on the record. It's crucial to provide a clear and explicit breakdown of what was attempted, why it didn't work, and what was learned. This transparency helps prevent misunderstandings and ensures that the learning from the failure is clear and curated.