Leadership Today - Practical Tips For Leaders
Business:Management
Summary
When looking for ways to improve and make progress, it is sometimes helpful to explore what could be the most negative outcome and what we can learn from that. This week we look at the benefits of thinking about how to break something in order to make it even better.
Transcript
Welcome to episode 183 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we bring research to life in your leadership. This week we look at the benefits of thinking about how to break something in order to make it even better.
I was recently watching a documentary about SpaceX, the manufacturer and launcher of rockets, including the largest and most powerful ever made. In the documentary called “Return to Space” they reflected on the contrasting approaches to experimentation and progress used by SpaceX and NASA. The documentary explained that NASA focuses on getting things as right as possible on paper first before committing to a launch. This leads to an inherent conservative risk-aversion. Success from a NASA perspective is a rocket flight that’s perfect first time even if that takes a long time to get to. SpaceX in contrast has seen some of the most spectacular and dramatic rocket explosions ever. Instead of being disappointed by these or even viewing them as failures, each explosion was seen as an opportunity to gather data and learn fast. Elon Musk even declared their latest Star Ship launch as having a 50% chance of success. He said in an interview "I'm not saying it will get to orbit, but I am guaranteeing excitement”. Star Ship exploded prior to reaching orbit. Interestingly though, SpaceX’s other rockets now have an enviable level of safety and reliability. By breaking it, SpaceX are learning how to fix it.
So what does this mean for the rest of us leaders who aren’t in the space race? Whether it’s a physical product, a service, or a process, I believe there are several lessons we can learn and apply.
I hope you found this helpful. Consider how you might fail-forward in your context. Have a great week.
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