How do you make sure a failure only happens once?
Today we continue with our sporadic series of posts looking toward the 2011 ASAE Annual Meeting & Expo. As I mentioned in my post two weeks ago, we'll ask a single question in each one.
Below, I've posed a question for Kerry Stackpole, IOM, FASAE, CAE, president of Printing & Graphics Association MidAtlantic, who will lead an Annual Meeting Learning Lab titled "Failing Better."
What's one method association executives can use to manage failure so that one-time failures don't become repeat problems?
Stackpole: Socrates observed "the unexamined life is not worth living." The same could be said of failure. When something doesn't work, there's enormous temptation to brush aside or hide the failure. That's a mistake. Association executives and their staff benefit enormously by making time for reflection. This isn't finger pointing or blaming, but rather it's time for thoughtful analysis. Asking simple reflective questions on the heels of any failure will strengthen the barrier against repeat problems. Here are a few questions to get you started:
- What did you do that you liked?
- What would you do differently were there a next time?
- What would you change?
- What can I do to help next time?
Thanks, Kerry. Readers, please share your thoughts on this question in the comments below.
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Comments
Rarely are we ever working on a single project at a time. Therefore, I would add to the list of questions "Are there any other projects that are currently in process that are exhibiting similar trends to the one that did not work?"
I find that the lessons that are learned from a failure are more likely to become part of a SOP if they can in someway be immediately applied. After all, they can often reflect a methodology or habit that is not unique to one project.
Posted by: Lowell Aplebaum | June 23, 2011 12:47 PM
This is timely since Seth Godin's post today is entitled "How do you know you're done?"
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/06/how-do-you-know-when-its-done.html
I feel compelled though to push back on "failure" as the key term here as that word is bantered around too frequently to refer to "things not turning out as we had planned."
Failures no doubt do occur, and are a necessary cost of trying to innovate in significant ways not done before, but we can't refer to every situation that doesn't hit a target goal as a failure.
More discussion about appropriate metrics to evaluate an effort should occur on the front end, so everyone is clear what success looks like, what results are being targeted, and the timeframe in which the full results are envisioned as achievable (it often isn't going to be the first time out, in one year, etc.).
Posted by: Jeffrey Cufaude | June 23, 2011 3:29 PM