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This blog is a collection of stories, quotes, articles, and more about mistakes. Some of it is “director’s cut” material that didn’t make it into my book The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation. I also blog regularly at LeanBlog.org.
Opening day of the 2002 NFL season gave us a remarkable—and painful—example of a very human mistake. Trigger warning if you’re a Cleveland Browns fan. With seconds left on the clock, the Cleveland Browns were clinging to a two-point lead over the Kansas City Chiefs. As the final play unfolded,… Read More "The NFL Mistake That Cost a Game: What Dwayne Rudd’s Helmet Toss Teaches Us About Assumptions"
In The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, I wrote that “mistakes are inevitable, but failure is not.” The real differentiator is how we respond to mistakes—not just as individuals, but as organizations. Do we hide them? Punish them? Or do we learn, iterate, and… Read More "Barrels, Bourbon, and Breakthroughs: Learning from the Mistakes That Made Woodford Reserve’s Signature Bourbons"
This week, the football world lost a legend: Jim Marshall, the Minnesota Vikings ironman best known for his resilience, leadership, and—yes—one unforgettable mistake. He passed away at 87, having etched his name into NFL history for far more than one play. Marshall’s infamous “wrong way run” in 1964, when he… Read More "Honoring Jim Marshall: The Ironman Who Ran the Wrong Way—and Kept Going"
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Even four-star generals make mistakes. 🪖 That’s not a punchline. It’s a powerful truth—one we often forget. On a recent episode of The Daily Show, General Stanley McChrystal, retired four-star general and former commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, shared something striking: “None of us is perfect.… Read More "Even Four-Star Generals Make Mistakes"
OverviewDiscover how Mark Graban’s My Favorite Mistake podcast and his Shingo Award-winning book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, provide groundbreaking insights into lean management, operational excellence, and organizational transformation. This resource is essential for business leaders seeking to drive continuous improvement and harness… Read More "Business Insights from “My Favorite Mistake”: Lessons in Learning and Innovation"
Here is a ChatGPT-generated summary of my book. Check out a free sample here. “The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation” by Mark Graban explores the crucial role that mistakes play in personal and organizational growth. Graban’s central thesis is that mistakes, when approached with… Read More "A Short Summary of The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation by Mark Graban"
