Am I crazy!!?? Why would anyone want to fail?
I recently attended a technology breakfast sponsored by the Indianapolis Business Journal. The panel of speakers represented companies and organizations like Cha Cha, Slingshot SEO, Purdue University, MyJibe, and Scale Computing. The general sentiment by these leaders was to "fail fast." What does this mean to the average small business owner? Failure? I'm not suggesting you start your company, your book, or your workout program with failure in mind. "Today, I'm NOT going to finish what I started" is not the right mindset. However, remember that "failure can be a better teacher than success" (The Economist - April 14, 2011). When I worked for Eli Lilly and Company, I LEARNED the benefit of killing a drug project early in development. If you LEARN early on that a drug won't work (e.g. - side effects, efficacy, desired effect, etc.), you can direct resources toward another project. LEARNING is the key. The same thought applies when starting a company. Failure vs. Mistakes When you fail, you should learn something and adjust your actions. Then do not repeat that failure. Mistakes are different. Example: "I didn't finish the marathon. The next time, I'll study running programs, create a schedule and try again." Lesson Learned. A mistake? Run another marathon next month. Poor knees and feet. Thomas Edison failed. Michael Jordan failed. Abraham Lincoln failed (A LOT). So when you fail, it's no big deal. You're in good company.
