Art Bell is the author of Constant Comedy: How I Started Comedy Central and Lost My Sense of Humor. Yes, that’s right, he’s the creator of the Comedy Central cable channel in the United States (launched as “The Comedy Channel”). While some favorite mistakes result from not listening to experts,… Read More "Art Bell’s Mistakes at the Mistake Called Comedy Central — Bill Maher Wanted Him Fired"
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.
Expect to Fail — On Stage or in Sales
This post is material cut from earlier drafts of my book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation. Shifting to the stage, Merit Kahn is a sales expert and standup comedian. Even the most famous comedians have stories of a night when they failed — comics… Read More "Expect to Fail — On Stage or in Sales"
Plan for the Possibility That You’re Wrong, Prepare to Learn and Grow
What follows in this post is material that was cut from earlier drafts of my book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation. When we think about a small test of change, we consciously expect the possibility of being wrong. Many organizations think about implementing… Read More "Plan for the Possibility That You’re Wrong, Prepare to Learn and Grow"
To Be World-Class, Eliminate the Fear Factor and the Futility Factor
It’s terrible when people feel unsafe in the workplace, and an organization’s performance suffers as a result. You can’t be world-class without every employee being able to use their voice. Without a feeling of Psychological Safety, employees understandably protect themselves. They choose to keep quiet instead of speaking up to… Read More "To Be World-Class, Eliminate the Fear Factor and the Futility Factor"
Celebrate Mistakes and Learn like CEO Stephen King
This is an excerpt from The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, based on an episode of the “My Favorite Mistake” podcast. Stephen King (not the famous novelist) is the CEO of GrowthForce, a company that provides accounting and bookkeeping services. Stephen says learning from… Read More "Celebrate Mistakes and Learn like CEO Stephen King"
“The Mistakes That Make Us” Named Book of the Month by IISE
Thanks to IISE Magazine, published by the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, for naming The Mistakes That Make Us their “book of the month.” How our slip-ups make us stronger IIISE member Graban explores ‘favorite mistake’ podcast topic in new book “To err is human,” and thus, we all… Read More "“The Mistakes That Make Us” Named Book of the Month by IISE"