Amy Edmondson: The Bold Approach to Failure

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About This Episode

In this episode, Dr. Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, discusses how we can best think about and practice failure. Amy distinguishes between the different types of failure while also clarifying preventable mistakes from intelligent failures- the latter being a byproduct of calculated risk-taking that often leads to significant insights and innovation. She encourages a reframing of our perception of failure, advocating for a healthy acceptance of intelligent failures as steppingstones in uncharted territories. Amy shares practical strategies for embracing vulnerability and harnessing setbacks as opportunities for learning and growth, acting as a guide for leaders, innovators, and anyone seeking to transform their approach to failure. Tune in as Amy encourages us to openly greet the unfamiliar and to recognize that within our boldest actions lies the key to our greatest achievements.

About Amy Edmondson

Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, a chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises that contribute to the betterment of society. Edmondson has been recognized by the biannual Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers since 2011, and most recently was ranked #1 in 2021; she also received that organization’s Breakthrough Idea Award in 2019, and Talent Award in 2017. She studies teaming, psychological safety, and organizational learning, and her articles have been published in numerous academic and management outlets, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Harvard Business Review and California Management Review. Her 2019 book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth (Wiley), has been translated into 15 languages. Edmondson’s newest book, Right Kind of Wrong (Atria), provides a framework for how we can think about, discuss, and practice failure wisely, using human fallibility as a tool for making ourselves and our organizations smarter. 

Additional Resources

LinkedIn: @AmyEdmondson

Twitter: @AmyCEdmondson

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