EMBRACING A FAIL-FAST CULTURE

Failure is inevitable!

Projects that get stuck or run out of steam, ideas that don't quite land, wrong turns, it's all part of real life in the workplace.

Failing fast doesn't mean rushing into things or being reckless, but it does mean spotting problems early, talking openly about what's not working, learning lessons quickly and adapting and moving on.

How can you support your team to fail fast?

The fail-fast learning loop is a practical tool to help develop a fail-fast culture that focuses on what we can do to move forward, even when it might feel like a step back.

What are the fail-fast habits you can create?

Try something new

Experiment, test an idea, pilot a new way of working, but start small and start fast.

“What are we testing?”

Pay attention early

Watch for signs it’s working… or not. Gather feedback sooner rather than later.

“What are we noticing?”

Talk about it honestly

Share openly what’s working and what isn’t. No blame, just curiosity.

“What’s going well?”

“Where are we stuck?”

“What surprised us?”

Learn the lesson

Identify the key takeaways. Good or bad.

“What have we learned?”

“What would we do differently?”

Decide + Move

Adapt, tweak, stop, or scale, whatever the learning tells you.

“What’s our next move?"

And finally...

Repeat

Keep the loop going — experimenting, learning, improving.

Failing fast isn’t about failing more, it’s about learning faster.

Great teams experiment, adapt, and talk honestly about what’s working (and what isn’t).

That only happens when leaders go first.

We really love supporting businesses to be the best they can be. If developing the skills & resilience of your leaders is on this year’s scorecard, get in touch.