Failure: The Only Way to Success

We can learn a lot about Gen Z’s determination to fail fast, learn faster mentality. This generation gets a lot of stick for not being resilient enough – but their perspective on failure (compared to previous generations) could be the reason they succeed more than any other generation.

Failure has always carried a negative connotation. It’s viewed as something to be avoided at all costs, a stain on your reputation, like you’re going around carrying the Scarlett letter of incompetence. It’s only recently that ‘failure’ is starting to be embraced.

Sounds obvious to say, but instead of fearing failure, we should encourage a culture of experimentation, innovation and risk taking within our agencies – and this starts at the top. Creating an environment where employees feel genuinely empowered to try new things, knowing that they won’t get a slap on the wrist if it doesn’t get the initial results they wanted.

It's only through failure we learn. Every setback, every mistake is simply an opportunity for growth and improvement and as basic as it sounds, innovation thrives in an environment where failure is embraced.

I get that it’s difficult to change an industry that’s stuck in it’s ways – but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. People who say ‘get back to basics’ when the going gets tough are simply too afraid to fail. When the market isn’t providing you with thousands a role a minute, you get told to ‘go back to basics’. But that’s exactly the time where you use the market’s failure as a catalyst for innovation, sparking new ideas and pushing boundaries.

How will you instil resilience in your employees if you just tell them to do the same things over and over again? Some recruitment companies have stuck to the same method for the past 20 years. Sure, it works – but what if something works better and you’ve not found out because you’re not experimenting?

So, how do we create a culture that embraces failure? It starts with leadership (as most things do in businesses).

Managers need to lead by example. Demonstrate a willingness to take risks and learn from mistakes and celebrate failure as a sign of initiative and creativity. Not scold them like a child or push them out of the business.

Communication is also key. There’s a massive element of vulnerability when you share something that’s failed – you need to make sure there’s a safe space to allow this to happen, and feedback is constructive rather than critical.

Of course, it’s important to recognise that not all failures are created equal. Some failures are the result of poor decision-making, or lack of effort, while others are simply the inevitable byproduct of trying something new. It’s important to distinguish between the two and focus on learning and improvement rather than assigning blame.

In the same way as collaboration, embracing failure is essential for growth and innovation. By encouraging a culture of experimentation, agencies will be more resilient, hard core, and frankly, better prepared.

Oh, and when you make mistakes, teach others too. Don’t be a gatekeeper.