Fail Fast: Why I Think We Need to Stop Being Afraid of Getting Things Wrong
There was a time when an organisation I worked for introduced a tagline: “Fail fast.”
I remember it because it sparked a difference of opinion between colleagues.
I understood what the organisation was trying to say. The idea wasn’t to encourage people to get things wrong for the sake of it. It was about trying new things, learning from what didn’t work, and being willing to change direction rather than carrying on with something that clearly wasn’t working.
One colleague, however, strongly disagreed with it. For him, the use of the word fail was a sign of how far the organisation had declined. Why would an organisation want to associate itself with failure?
I could understand his point. I just didn’t agree with his conclusion.
And I think there’s a leadership lesson in that.
The problem with the word failure
I think we can sometimes get so caught up in the words being used that we lose sight of the message behind them.
The word failure carries weight. Nobody wants to be seen as a failure, and no organisation wants to be known for getting things wrong.
But there’s a difference between accepting that things will sometimes go wrong and accepting poor standards.
For me, “fail fast” was about recognising that not every idea would work. Some approaches would need changing. Some decisions would turn out to be wrong. Some things would teach us more through experience than they ever could on paper.
The important part was what happened next.
Did we learn from it? Did we make changes? Did we avoid making the same mistake again?
Or did we simply carry on regardless because admitting something hadn’t worked felt uncomfortable?
I’d argue the second approach is far more concerning.
Leadership means being willing to try
As leaders, it’s easy to talk about improvement, innovation and doing things differently. It’s much harder to create an environment where people actually feel able to do those things.
If people believe that every mistake will be held against them, they’ll naturally become more cautious. They’ll stick to what they know, avoid taking risks and think twice before suggesting a different approach.
Sometimes that caution is sensible. Not every risk is worth taking, and some decisions carry consequences that cannot simply be undone.
But there’s a difference between being careful and being afraid.
The period following COVID brought huge changes for many organisations. The way people worked, what they expected and how organisations operated had all been challenged. There was a need to adapt, rethink established ways of working and find better ways forward.
In that environment, I could see the value in a message that encouraged people to try, learn and adapt.
That doesn’t mean abandoning common sense or lowering expectations. It means recognising that standing still isn’t always the safest option.
Sometimes, continuing to do something simply because it’s how you’ve always done it is a risk in itself.
But what about accountability?
This is where I think the message needs some balance.
I’m not suggesting that failure should be celebrated regardless of the circumstances. Nor should people be allowed to make the same mistakes repeatedly without taking responsibility.
There’s a difference between trying something with good intentions, making a reasonable decision and learning that it didn’t work, and failing to do something properly in the first place.
There’s also a difference between an honest mistake and ignoring a known risk.
Leadership has to recognise that difference.
If you encourage people to try new things, you also have a responsibility to help them learn from the outcome. That means having honest conversations, being willing to challenge decisions and making changes where needed.
A team that can admit when something hasn’t worked is in a much better position to improve than one that spends its time trying to hide it.
For me, the goal isn’t to fail. The goal is to get better.
We don’t all have to agree
Looking back, I don’t think my colleague was necessarily wrong to question the tagline. Words matter, particularly when they come from an organisation’s leadership.
People will interpret messages differently depending on their experiences, their view of the organisation and what they believe the message says about its priorities.
His concern was that the word fail reflected something negative about the organisation. I saw it as an attempt to encourage a different mindset at a time when change was needed.
We were looking at the same two words but seeing something different.
And that’s an important reminder for anyone in a leadership position.
You can communicate what you believe is the right message and still have people interpret it differently. You can’t assume that because something makes sense to you, it will automatically make sense to everyone else.
Sometimes, you need to explain the thinking behind a decision. Sometimes, you need to listen to the concerns being raised. And sometimes, you have to accept that people will disagree with you.
Leadership isn’t about winning every argument. It’s about understanding different perspectives, making a decision and being prepared to stand behind it.
So, should organisations encourage people to fail fast?
I still believe there’s value in the principle, provided we understand what it actually means.
Perhaps the wording could be different. “Learn fast” might be easier for people to get behind. The point, however, remains the same.
We should be willing to try new things, recognise when something isn’t working and learn quickly enough to do something about it.
We shouldn’t be so afraid of getting things wrong that we never try to get things right in a different way.
And we shouldn’t confuse a culture that learns from mistakes with one that accepts poor performance.
For me, good leadership is about finding that balance. Setting clear standards, holding people accountable and giving them the confidence to challenge, experiment and improve.
Because the biggest failure isn’t always getting something wrong.
Sometimes, it’s knowing something isn’t working and being too afraid to change it.
What about you?
Are you creating an environment where people feel confident enough to try something different, or one where they’re more concerned about being blamed if it doesn’t work?
And perhaps there’s a more personal question worth asking, too.
Are you so afraid of getting something wrong that you’re stopping yourself from trying something new?
It could be a change at work, a personal goal you’ve been putting off, a new challenge or simply taking a step outside what’s familiar.
Not every attempt will work out as planned. Not every decision will be the right one. But there’s often something to be learned along the way, provided we’re willing to reflect, adapt and keep moving forward.
That’s what taking your next step is all about.
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