#133: Amy Edmondson — Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, author of “Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well”

For any long time listeners of the podcast, you know we are firm believers in failure being a positive thing. From D1 coaches to cutting edge researchers, great performers and leaders across the board understand the importance of allowing people to fail well. But, how exactly do you do that? Enter today’s guest Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School and author of the book Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well.  Before her appointment to Harvard, Amy served as Chief Engineer for the architecture and invention firm Buckminster Fuller Institute, and Director of Research at the Pecos River Learning Centers. In both fields, her search for new and innovative techniques led her to a strong ‘trial and error’ approach where she discovered the ins and outs of “failing well”. In our conversation, Amy goes over the types of good failure and how they create better workers, teams, and environments where workers can feel “psychologically safe”, and what the consequences of fostering an environment that punishes failure can lead to. This is an essential listen for anyone looking to develop a welcoming, safe, and winning environment for their employees, so with that…let’s bring it in!