Alphabet just announced it is killing off the company’s once highly touted Titan drone project which aimed to deliver high-speed Internet all around the world using drones. In retrospect, it might easy to laugh off the program as yet another overly ambitious Google/Alphabet project doomed to failure, but I’d advise against it. Why? Because the…

Like millions of other parents across America, I spent this morning watching my son’s soccer game. On the sideline, not far from me, was the parent of an opposing player wearing a t-shirt that read “Fear Failure”. As a competitive person, I understand the sentiment behind the slogan but it is an awful message. If…

Innovation requires risk. Risk, by its very nature, implies an element of failure. But nobody–most especially companies and corporations that must stay profitable to remain in business–enjoys failure. This leads to a paradoxical situation: Everyone recognizes the importance of innovation but few are willing to pay the real price (i.e. occasional failure.) What then is…

The child and the traveler came upon a creek. The only way to cross it was to walk across a fallen tree. The traveler quickly strode over the makeshift bridge. The child looked nervously at the obstacle, “I don’t think I can do it.” “You must try,” said the traveler. “But how’d you learn to…

Before Philippe Petit could undertake his daring 1974 tightrope walk across the World Trade Center Towers, my guess is that he fell off a lot of ropes while practicing. It might be obvious but it’s worth remembering that a person can only learn to balance by falling. Related Post Practice Intentional Imperfection

“To kill an error is as good a service, and sometimes even better than, the establishing of a new truth or fact.” – Charles Darwin Question #9: Who coined the phrase, “The survival of the fittest”? Did you say Charles Darwin? If so, you are mistaken. The honor belongs to Herbert Spencer who first used…

“To kill an error is as good a service, and sometimes even better than, the establishing of a new truth or fact.” – Charles Darwin Question #9: Who coined the phrase, “The survival of the fittest”? Did you say Charles Darwin? If so, you are mistaken. The honor belongs to Herbert Spencer who first used…

If you want to facilitate creativity and encourage innovation you are going to have to embrace the idea that many ideas and products will end in failure. Failure, as I have said before, is thus something that must be encouraged. But how does one “encourage” failure? One idea, which was suggested in this article, is…

“Chief Unlearning Officer” Jack Uldrich discusses why teachers may need to unlearning what they think they know about teaching and learning.

Does no one in a position of authority like your business proposal, your manuscript or your idea? Stop listening to others "no" and say "yes" to yourself. Give yourself permission to become your own authority figure.