Fail Quickly
Fail Quickly!
“Fail Quickly” does not sound like a leadership imperative – but it is. If you are starting a new business, R&D project, feasibility study, or even business relationship, fail quickly. Quickly discover whether the new business or any other new initiative can be successful.
Google has a Moonshot Factory called “X” whose charter is to try making big ideas work. Failing quickly is fundamental to X’s charter. Leaders at X are expected to rapidly determine whether an idea or technology can be commercialized.
Check out my blog post on a Google X project called Foghorn which tried to extract CO2 from seawater to create methane for fuel – HERE.
With essentially unlimited funding and access to top talent, the project failed. However, within the Google X culture, the project was seen as a success, and its leaders and staff were rewarded for their work discovering the potential and the limitations of the Foghorn concept.
If you are starting a new initiative, spell out why it might fail – the highest risks of failure. Stress test those risks as quickly as possible. If the initiative will not be successful – will fail – make that happen quickly. Focus your time, your funding, and your team on initiatives that will be successful.
Holiday Gift Suggestion
My new book, Create the Future, is a great Holiday gift option for your customers, clients, staff, and colleagues. This leadership guidebook will show them how to be more creative and to make better decisions for their organization and themselves. They will thank you for helping them be more successful.
Harvard Magazine is showcasing Create the Future as recommended Holiday reading by a Harvard author.
Contact me directly for ordering multiple copies of the book – special pricing for orders over 25 copies.
Fall in New England
You cannot get a hotel room in New England in the fall because visitors from across the world come to see the fall colors. Here is why they come. I captured this composition while looking across a lake north of Boston.
