Skiing and Innovation

Over the last few months I’ve read quite a few articles talking about embracing failure. How organisation’s need to coalesce around the things that don’t succeed.
I don’t agree with this. Failure is not good and never will be.
However it is an inevitable consequence of trying to succeed and do new things.
I make the comparison with skiing.
You can stay within your comfort zone and never try anything new, do the same ski runs day in day out.
Or you can go for a more challenging run and perhaps get it wrong and fall over.
If you try, you might learn that the black run with the mogul field is great fun and you can do it!
Alternatively you might fall over and break a leg or tear a ligament.
Trust me, it’s no fun and it’s not worth embracing.
But if you don’t try new things then you can’t succeed and you do just do the same ski runs every day.
If your organisation and you are happy with that then don’t try anything new.
So please don’t tell me that failure itself is good, but do recognise that failure in the pursuit of success is a necessity to move forwards.
However good we are nobody gets it right every time but like skiing the black – it may deliver unexpected rewards.