Let’s Talk About Fear of Failure

Smart people can't stand looking stupid

There’s one HBR article that I share but never hear back about. It’s Chris Argyris’ “Teaching Smart People How to Learn” (https://hbr.org/1991/05/teaching-smart-people-how-to-learn).

Maybe it’s the intimidating title that ticks off the interest to read.

Or maybe because it’s a painful read in itself.

Argyris, considered the father of organizational learning from the 1950s, features management consultants in this article.

“Nearly all the consultants I have studied have stellar academic records… their lives are primarily full of successes, so they have rarely experienced the embarrassment and sense of threat that comes with failure… People who rarely experience failure, however, end up not knowing how to deal with it effectively.”

“Behind this high aspiration for success is an equally high fear of failure and a propensity to feel shame and guilt when they do fail to meet their high standards… they also have never developed the tolerance for feelings of failure or the skills to deal with these feelings. This in turn has led them not only to fear failure but also to fear the fear of failure itself.”

Ouch, isn’t it.

The type of failure we learn from, is really embarrassing and painful. Now let’s go fail.

  • Join the Mental Model Dōjō Learning Community

    Upcoming Dōjō Sessions

    23.11.14-21 MMDojo

    Community Sign-Up

    Join our Mental Model Dōjō learning community and receive Knowledge Base and YouTube channel updates and invitations to community events.

    Joining the the Mental Model Dōjō learning community is free. Agile Organization Development, managed by Lifecycle Pte. Ltd., is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, and we’ll only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you requested from us. From time to time, we would like to contact you about our products and services, as well as other content that may be of interest to you. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy. By clicking submit, you consent to allow Lifecycle Pte. Ltd. to store and process the personal information submitted.

Follow Coach Takeshi:

Takeshi Yoshida, Founder & Chief Coach, Agile Organization Development

About Agile OD: We are a tribe of learning professionals that help organzations succeed in change, transformation, innovation | Coach Takeshi bio & credentials