The privilege to fail

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Failure has entered the zeitgeist as a key to success — images of tech giants starting businesses in their garages or thirty ideas that didn’t work before an innovator found the one that did.

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Let’s pause and think about this. How does bias and privilege relate to failure? Biases can shape the way we view people and certain events. When someone fails, our bias about that person colours whether that failure was an opportunity to learn and evidence of something they tried, or whether it is evidence that they are untrustworthy, bad at their jobs or unlikely to succeed in the future.

Not everyone has the privilege to fail. Three things need to happen to turn failure into success.

1. You need resources to take a risk

Starting a business in your garage sounds modest, but only 50% of Canadians have a garage or carport (Health Canada). And you never hear about a business starting in the carport. Some resources are needed to risk it all to start a business in your garage, and resources are needed for the garage, too. Even outside of entrepreneurship, there are some who are able to take risks in their careers that those who are less financially stable would not want to take.

2. You need support to recover from failure

When you fail, how will that failure be received by others?

Our research shows that 38% of Canadian employees do not feel supported when they make mistakes (Benefits Canada). Executives and people managers feel more supported when they make mistakes than do lower-level employees. Those with at least a bachelor’s degree report getting more support than those with less education. Inclusive leadership can drastically improve this outcome – 88% of those with inclusive leaders said they feel supported when they make a mistake.

3. You need leaders who advocate for you

You’ve recovered and are on to your next idea or job opportunity. Will anyone support you? Six in ten Canadian employees don’t believe there are leaders in their organization who would advocate for them.

Are we allowing everyone to make mistakes?

If risk-taking is a key priority for your organization, consider whether people feel safe taking that risk.

Do they have the resources they need? This may not be a garage, but instead be time away from other priorities or leniency with financial goals.

Do they get support if a calculated risk does not pan out? For failure to lead to success, the mistakes need to be identified early and met with support, not retaliation or punishment.

How are previous mistakes viewed by leadership? Ensure new opportunities are evaluated without bias. One person’s failure may be seen as another’s willingness to try something new. This can become subjective, so ensure you are evaluating with fair, preset criteria.

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Failure can indeed lead to success when it is viewed as taking smart risks. It can lead to losses and a lack of future opportunity when not met with support and advocacy. If you aren’t sure which approach is common at your organization, ask your employees.

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