1. Defining Normalising Failure
What it means to "normalise failure." This involves seeing failure as a common and natural part of any learning or growth process, rather than as a mark of inadequacy.
Failure tends to have a negative connotation in many cultures, but there is an increasing shift toward viewing it as a stepping stone to success. Here at Naimuri we talk about failing fast in our agile ways of working. We grow stronger for this with our technology but we can always do more to normalise failure with ourselves. Perhaps things are going on at home, perhaps you just don’t understand the task in hand. It’s ok and others feel it too.
2. The Role of Failure in Personal Growth
Failure contributes to resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving skills. When people encounter and learn from failure, they often develop a more realistic understanding of their abilities and limitations, which is essential for personal development.
For those book lovers out there, Stephen King's first book, Carrie, was rejected 30 times. His wife encouraged him to be more confident and resubmit it. We could all do with a cheerleader like this in our lives at times. Surrounding yourself with these types of people can challenge your limiting beliefs of what you can truly achieve when you believe in yourself.
3. Failure in our place of work
As we normalise failure in the workplace through our technology we create a culture of innovation. When employees aren’t afraid to take risks or admit mistakes, they’re more likely to experiment, which is key for innovation, this is one of our strongest points which we sell proudly to our customers.
Real life examples of this is the well known Google who "reward failure".
In his book Work Rules!, Google's former Chief Human Resources Officer of Google - Laszlo Bock states "it's also important to reward failure" so as to encourage risk-taking.
Bock gives the example of Google Wave, an online platform launched in 2010 and closed a year later. "They took a massive, calculated risk. And failed. So we rewarded them."
Google saw this as a lesson learned and not a chance for punishment.
4. Teaching Failure as a Learning Tool
Educational systems have often discouraged failure, yet a growing body of research shows that students learn best through trial and error. Many educators now advocate for “growth mindset” practices that celebrate the process of learning, including mistakes.
Normalising failure in education can prepare you better for real-life challenges helping with things such as resilience and problem-solving skills.
I for one in previous jobs have needed these skills to operate in the environments that I have previously worked in, which have been far from an office in a city and instead a dusty desert away from family and friends for months on end.
5. Psychological Benefits of Accepting Failure
Normalising failure can reduce anxiety, perfectionism, and fear of taking risks. When people understand that failure is a part of growth, they’re less likely to experience debilitating fear of failure.
As a child I had a real fear of speaking in public, fear of putting my hand up in the classroom in fear of being wrong, or of being ridiculed. Only to realise that quite often I knew the answer and would kick myself silently as someone else spoke out loud and proud.
Having a “growth mindset” versus a “fixed mindset” embraces challenges and sees failures as opportunities for development, which ultimately leads to more fulfilling and sustainable success.
6. Strategies you can use to for Normalise Failure
- Reframe failures as data points or learning experiences - we do this well in retros and we add to lessons learned but do we speak about failure enough?
- We can hold open discussions about mistakes without fear of judgement, we can do this with each other, in our teams or friendly chats in the office or online.
- Set ourselves realistic expectations that include room for error.
- We can use journaling about lessons learned from setbacks, or discussing failures with a mentor to gain perspective. Writing it down can always take the stress away too, write it down, let it go and move on.
7. Conclusion: Reimagining Success and Failure
Normalising failure can lead to a more holistic, sustainable definition of success. When failure is seen as part of the journey, not just an obstacle, it becomes a source of growth, resilience, and innovation.
In your daily life, not just in the workplace, try to shift your perception of failure from something to be avoided at all costs to something that can be understood and even valued.
Talk about it, we are real people, with real lives and no-one writes the book of life for us. Embracing the world as we live in and all the flaws of the brilliant people that live within.
