Courtesy of Derek Flanzraich
Derek Flanzraich, CEO and founder of Greatist.
Spanx founder $4 around the mistakes she'd made. $4 tells his team to be wrong as fast as they can. Laszlo Bock, the head of Google's HR, trains his managers to spend as much time in meetings $4.
Derek Flanzraich, CEO of multimedia health company $4, says that making mistakes is his primary method of learning.
In an interview featured in the book "$4," he told author Susie Moore:
"I learn almost entirely by f---ing things up first - and sometimes I have to f--- it up a couple times. I wish that wasn't true, but it's super true for me at least. I think success is not about not making mistakes, but about (and this isn't my phrase) mistakes well-handled."
That phrase, "mistakes well-handled," comes from a chapter in restaurateur Danny Meyer's 2006 book "$4," where he explains that the actions following a mistake are ultimately more important than worrying about preventing a mistake itself.
That's not to say Flanzraich doesn't worry about missteps - he just doesn't let it interfere with what he's trying to accomplish. When Moore asked Flanzraich how he overcame the fear of failure, he told her:
"I'm not sure I ever did. I still feel those things. I just don't let it stop me. I let it fuel me and I see this as a big journey of learning. I'm confident. I'm hell-bent on building and making this difference that I want to make in the world. I won't allow anything to get in my way."