Why Failure Is Data, Not Identity
The Learning Curve (And Why Failure Is Data, Not Identity)
Last month we explored goal-setting with grace, discovering that sustainable progress comes from minimum viable goals rather than aggressive targets that set us up for disappointment.
But what happens when we don't even hit that minimum? When we genuinely fail?
That's where this month's conversation begins.
The Workshop I'd Rather Forget
I delivered a training session last year that went spectacularly wrong.
The presentation software crashed twice. My carefully designed group exercises confused everyone and I could see the blank stares as people began to ‘check out’. One person left early without explanation.
The feedback forms were brutal. "Unclear objectives." "Poor time management." "Not what I expected." I felt sick!
I drove home convinced I'd lost my touch. Twenty years, and I'd just delivered one of the worst sessions of my career. I honestly thought I should just stick to the formats I know work and ‘Play it safe’ from now on?
What Neuroscience Says About Failure
I found myself going back to: Dr. Carol Dweck's research on growth mindset which reveals that our brain's response to failure is trainable.
She found that when we view failure as evidence of our limitations (fixed mindset), our brain literally shuts down learning pathways. But when we view failure as information (growth mindset), the same neural circuits that process mistakes become active learning opportunities.
MRI studies show that people with growth mindsets have increased activity in brain regions associated with attention and cognitive control when they make errors. They're deliberately learning from what went wrong.
The Workplace Connection
A 2023 CIPD study found that 64% of UK employees avoid trying new approaches at work because they fear the consequences of getting it wrong.
The cost? Innovation stalls. Problem-solving becomes rigid. Teams play it safe.
Yet the most psychologically safe workplaces treat failures as "expensive learning." They ask "What did this teach us?" rather than "Who do we blame?"
Your Permission to Start Again
Here's your challenge for March:
1. The Failure Audit
Identify one thing you've avoided trying again because it didn't work the first time. Ask yourself:
What specifically went wrong?
What was outside my control?
What could I do differently?
What's one small way I could try again?
2. The 24-Hour Rule
When something goes wrong, Sleep on it! Give yourself 24 hours before deciding what it means. Initial shame and disappointment cloud judgment. After a day, review with curiosity rather than criticism.
3. The Learning Share
If you're a manager, share one of your own failures with your team this month and what you learned. Model that starting again isn't weakness. It's wisdom.
Spring is nature's reminder that growth requires cycles of dormancy and renewal. Sometimes we need to let something die so something better can grow.
Will you give yourself permission to try again?
Planning for Mental Health Awareness Week
If you're preparing for Mental Health Awareness Week (May 12-18), don’t forget to let me know if you’d like me to deliver a Lunch and Learn, or come and speak to your MHFAiders. My diary is booking up, and I work on a first come first served basis.
Alternatively book onto one of my Mental Health First Aid courses or Neurodiversity training.
View courses → https://www.peterlarkum.com/courses-and-events
Research citations:
Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
CIPD (2023). Health and Wellbeing at Work Survey
Mangels et al. (2006). "Why do beliefs about intelligence influence learning success?" Psychological Science
