Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Thomas Edison

So many times throughout my life I have heard about people who worked in organizations that didn’t recognize that with true success also comes failure.  I believe that great leaders embrace failure as a way to get better.  Thomas Edison has also been quoted “we now know 1000 ways not to create a light bulb.”  What a positive view!  Why don’t we take that approach in other things we do?

In my time in the Army I worked for great bosses who took a similar approach.  They encouraged people to try new things.  What they asked in exchange was to do a risk assessment to minimize the chance of someone being hurt and to learn from each mistake and not repeat it.  How that was done can be applied in any business.

Risk Assessment

The Army has a dedicated Safety Center that looks at accidents and determines ways to prevent them from happening again.  Those accidents include things that happen on duty and off.  The Safety Center helps leaders by providing classes and tools to mitigate risks.  NOTE: If you look at the website above you will notice the slogan “Army Safe is Army Strong” which is one more example of how the employer brand is being incorporated into all elements of the Army.

The chart below depicts the Composite Risk Management Process.  The hazards are identified through a series of questions relative to the task.  Those tasks range from military operations to operation of a car.

After Action Reviews (AARs)

The US Army, and other military organizations, conduct operational reviews, either formal or informal, after each mission.  The purpose is to identify things that went well and areas needing improvement.  Typically the after action review addresses key topics using a format of Action, Discussion and Recommendation.  Someone has even developed an iPhone App using the Army process for conducting AARs.

Innovation does not come without a price and sometimes that price is failure to achieve the end result.  True leaders recognize that we can learn as much or even more from failure as we do from success.  Imagine the following were a resume.  Would you hire this person? Would

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln won the election to become President of the United States and the rest is history.