"And, going back to the CMO special report on innovation, one stand-out article I read was the one on the innovation paradox — you must be willing to fail in order to succeed. Author Ralph Keyes writes:
Genuine risk-takers know setbacks are part of the creative process. Any innovator worthy of that name accepts that success is the exception, failure the rule. That’s why those who are too focused on succeeding can’t innovate.
The pressure to be a risk-taker, or even to appear to be a risk-taker while not actually taking any real risks, is at the root of innovation burnout, in my opinion. Here’s Keyes again:
How can that [failure-tolerant] mind-set be encouraged? When I ask business leaders, most say that they urge workers to take more risks. This approach seldom has the desired effect, and for good reason. ‘They tell us to take more risks,’ one middle manager told me, ‘but you’re expected never to fail.’
