My Favorite Mistake: Business Lessons from Failures and Success

Rich Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations, Says Run the Experiment ... and Make Mistakes Faster

Episode page with transcript, video, and more
My guest for Episode #220 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Rich Sheridan, the co-founder, CEO, and “Chief Storyteller” of Menlo Innovations, a software and IT consulting firm that has earned numerous awards and press coverage for its innovative and positive workplace culture.
He’s the author of two books — first,  Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love, and then his latest, published in 2019, Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear.
I’ve interviewed Rich twice in my “Lean Blog Interviews” podcast, we’ve crossed paths at conferences, and I’ve been able to visit the Menlo Innovations office in Ann Arbor (2014).
In this episode, Rich shares two favorite mistake stories from his time as a senior leader at a previous company. Why did one mistake change his life? How did the second mistake help him put himself in the CEO's shoes?
Rich also kindly endorsed my new book:
“At Menlo Innovations, one of our favorite phrases is ‘Make Mistakes Faster!’ It’s not that we like making mistakes, we just prefer making small mistakes quickly rather than BIG mistakes slowly. The difference comes from creating a culture where we are safe to share our mistakes. In The Mistakes That Make Us, author Mark Graban teaches all of us how to do this and shares story after real story of the benefits. It would be a BIG mistake to ignore this wisdom!”
Questions and Topics:
Why the title “chief storyteller?”
How do you define “joy” in the workplace?
What’s your role as CEO in helping others find joy or be joyful?
Joy vs. happiness?
Deming connections: pride, fear
Why is eliminating fear so important to you and Menlo?
You say, “one of your favorite phrases at Menlo Innovations is ‘Make Mistakes Faster!” — tell us more about that… 
“Fear makes bad news go into hiding…”
“Let’s run the experiment” — tell us more, “try stuff and see if it works”
Being open to small mistakes as a way to avoid big ones? An experiment in working with you?
“Without the stories, Menlo doesn’t make sense”
Paired work
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This podcast is part of the Lean Communicators network.
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Hank Levine, CEO of iPlace USA, Shares Two Favorite Mistakes From Sales and Technology

Episode page with video, transcript, and more⁠
My guest for Episode #219 of the ⁠My Favorite Mistake podcast⁠ is Hank Levine, the President and CEO of ⁠iPlace USA⁠, a global Recruitment Process Outsourcing company.
He has 39 years' experience in sales, business development, marketing, and general management. He created the marketing and business strategies for six companies – four of which were acquired for a total of $92 million. Hank has twice “reinvented” his career. Before heading offshore recruiting firms, he held senior management positions in venture capital-backed technology companies. The first phase of his career was with cutting-edge home automation and telecom firms.
Hank holds a bachelor’s in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and his master’s in management from the Sloan School at MIT.
In this episode, Hank shares two favorite mistake stories from earlier in his career at two different companies — one related to sales and one related to technology development. Why did the first story profoundly change how he views leadership? Why did the second story teach him to avoid the “curse of the expert?”
We also discuss his efforts to cultivate a culture of learning from mistakes at iPlace USA.
I also want to mention that Hank is mentioned and quoted in my book ⁠The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation⁠, based on a previous interaction we had.
Questions and Topics:
Putting the right person in the right role — good fit
Examples of putting that lesson into practice?
Giving up on a person vs. finding a different role?
Dealing with politics in an organization when you think they're wrong and you're right
Turning around and mentoring younger employees based on his lessons?
Tell us about iPlace – the business and the environment
Core values of respect, integrity
Try to make it safe to admit mistakes
Methods or approaches to help learn and avoid repeating mistakes? Learning from mistakes? Spreading that learning?
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Please ⁠follow⁠, rate, and review via ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, Podchaser, or your favorite app — that helps others find this content, and you'll be sure to get future episodes as they are released weekly. 
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This podcast is part of the ⁠Lean Communicators network⁠.

Col. Kim ”KC” Campbell on Learning to Let Mistakes Go in Air Force Training, Combat, and Beyond

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My guest for Episode #218 of the ⁠My Favorite Mistake podcast is Colonel Kim “KC” Campbell⁠, who served in the Air Force for 24 years as a fighter pilot and senior military leader. 
KC has flown 1,800 hours in the A-10 Warthog, including more than 100 combat missions protecting troops on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan. 
KC is now a keynote speaker and bestselling author. Her new book, ⁠Flying in the Face of Fear: A Fighter Pilot's Lessons on Leading with Courage⁠ is now available!
KC is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Academy and has a Master of Arts in International Security Studies and a MBA from the University of London. 
In 2003, Colonel Campbell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism after successfully recovering her battle-damaged airplane after an intense close air support mission in Baghdad. She has served in roles including Squadron Commander, Operations Group Commander and, most recently, KC served as the Director for the Center for Character and Leadership Development at the United States Air Force Academy.
In this episode, KC shares her favorite mistake story about a time her visor fogged up when flying an A-10 Warthog in a training mission. What did she learn from this mistake, including how to let mistakes go — to put them aside and debrief at the right time?
She also discusses almost being shot down over Baghdad — would it have been a mistake to eject? Was it almost a mistake not to?
As she says on her website:
"But how can we improve if we don’t learn from our mistakes?”
Questions and Topics:
Learning to stay calm under stress? — learned over time??
Kids and sports —- ⁠Lenny Walls – Ep 51⁠
Learning to stay calm under stress? — learned over time??
Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism
Almost being shot down over Baghdad?
Debriefing, learning, and moving forward?
Planning for contingencies is a way of preventing mistakes…
Mistake of ejecting too soon vs. too late?
Is this critiqued? For learning?
How many women when you became a fighter pilot?
Lessons for women navigating male-dominated environments?
Debriefing from mistakes as fighter pilots and learning — what’s that culture??? Learning and overcoming them…
Question from your video — “Vulnerability isn’t about weakness… it’s about being open to uncertainty” – help your team be willing to be more innovative… try new things… 
Please ⁠follow⁠, rate, and review via ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, Podchaser, or your favorite app — that helps others find this content, and you'll be sure to get future episodes as they are released weekly. 
You can now ⁠sign up to get new episodes via email⁠, to make sure you don't miss an episode.
This podcast is part of the ⁠Lean Communicators network⁠.
 

Timothy R. Clark on Learning Not to Make Decisions Emotionally; Cultivating Psychological Safety

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My guest for Episode #217 of the ⁠My Favorite Mistake⁠ podcast is ⁠Dr. Timothy R. Clark⁠, an organizational anthropologist, and founder/CEO of ⁠LeaderFactor⁠, based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Tim pioneered the field of data-driven cultural transformation and ranks as a global authority in senior executive development. He earned a Ph.D. in Social Science from Oxford University as a British Research Scholar and was a Fulbright Scholar at Seoul National University in Korea.
Tim is the author of five books, including his most recent, ⁠The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety⁠. I’ve learned so much from this book, his training class, his ⁠podcasts⁠, and more.
In this episode, Tim shares his favorite mistake story about a pattern of being overtaken by emotion when making a decision. What did he do about this pattern and what did he learn about hiring people for his company?
We also discuss the concept of “⁠psychological safety⁠” and what leaders need to do to create conditions where people can feel safe speaking up about mistakes, ideas for improvement, and more.
I feel honored that Tim ⁠endorsed⁠ my new ⁠book⁠:
”Making mistakes is not a choice. Learning from them is. Whether we admit it or not, mistakes are the raw material of potential learning and the means by which we progress and move forward. Mark Graban’s ⁠The Mistakes That Make Us⁠ is a brilliant treatment of this topic that helps us frame mistakes properly, detach them from fear, and see them as expectations, not exceptions. This book’s ultimate contribution is helping us realize that creating a culture of productive mistake-making accelerates learning, confidence, and success.”
Questions and Topics: Instead of the question I normally start with… how do you define “psychological safety”? How would you explain “vulnerable acts”? Why is it so much more helpful for leaders to MODEL behaviors?? You can’t just demand that people “should” speak up in the hierarchy (healthcare or otherwise)?? Why is the safety to learn from mistakes required for innovation to thrive?
Please ⁠follow⁠, rate, and review via ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, Podchaser, or your favorite app — that helps others find this content, and you'll be sure to get future episodes as they are released weekly. You can also financially support⁠ the show through Spotify⁠.
You can now ⁠sign up to get new episodes via email⁠, to make sure you don't miss an episode.
This podcast is part of the ⁠Lean Communicators network⁠.

Biz Book Strategist Cathy Fyock Left Her Business to Take a Job; Book Writing Mistakes

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My guest for Episode #216 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Cathy Fyock, The Biz Book Strategist. 
She leads her own consulting/coaching/speaking practice and has been a member of the National Speakers Association for more than 20 years.  Cathy has been a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) since 1993. Since starting her coaching business in 2014, she’s helped more nearly 200 professionals become published authors — including me!
She coached me through the writing and publication of my 2018 book, Measures of Success, and she has been coaching me on the book I’m currently finishing up, The Mistakes That Make Us. The Kindle version is available tomorrow!
Cathy has written books including On Your Mark: From First Word to First Draft in Six Weeks, Blog2Book: Repurposing Content to Discover the Book You’ve Already Written, The Speaker Author: Sell More Books and Book More Speeches, and the WSJ, USA Today, and Amazon best-seller, Authority. Her upcoming book, which I've endorsed, is Writer Crisis Hotline.
In this episode, Cathy shares her favorite mistake story about leaving a business she had started to take a job where she could be “part of a team.” Was it a mistake to take a job with that particular team or to take a regular job anywhere? Did it become easier to move on from jobs over time? What led Cathy to start her latest business based on what she had learned, including what she learned about herself?
We discuss that, along with common mistakes that book authors make when writing and/or publishing their books. We also discuss the choice between traditional publishers, “self” publishing, and “hybrid publishers.”
Questions and Topics:
Tell us about starting your current business…
Writing – following a passion?
Understanding the business model around your book?
A book is like a startup?
The learning that happens while writing a book
Ethical situation when it comes to ghostwriting (by a human) or new AI tools?
Common book writing mistakes?
Mistakes related to the publishing phase?
Mistake titles? Mistake covers?
The connection between writing and speaking
Book pricing – finding the sweet spot?“Self publishing” vs. traditional publishing? How to choose?
Hybrid publishing? – hire a general contractor
Please follow, rate, and review via Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, or your favorite app — that helps others find this content, and you'll be sure to get future episodes as they are released weekly. You can also financially support the show through Spotify.
You can now sign up to get new episodes via email, to make sure you don't miss an episode.
This podcast is part of the Lean Communicators network.
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Book Launch LIVE - Featuring Mark Graban - ”The Mistakes that Make Us”

This originally appeared as a LinkedIn Live, hosted by John Saunders.
Book website pre-orders of signed copies | Amazon Kindle version pre-order / order
Description of the event...
Join us for a new segment of “Meet the Author LIVE.”
“Meet the Author LIVE” is an opportunity to learn everything valuable there is to know about the author. Plus, we can answer your questions live in the chat so be sure to drop them in there.
This episode will feature Mark Graban, and we’ll chat about his June 2023 book, "The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation" and talk about how he compiled stories and lessons from over 220 episodes of his podcast, “My Favorite Mistake,” and his own career.
Mark has hosted guests on his podcast, including best-selling author Daniel Pink, Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington, two sitting members of Congress, and more. He has over 518,000 followers on LinkedIn and has earned a LinkedIn "Top Voices" status.
Mark ​​is an author, speaker, podcaster, and consultant. He serves as a consultant through his company, Constancy, Inc., and is also a Senior Advisor for the technology company KaiNexus. He earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and an M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Leaders for Global Operations Program.
Join us on June 23 at 12:00 PM ET to meet Mark Graban and hear a chat with host John Saunders, and learn how leaders can cultivate a culture of learning from mistakes — and how that leads to innovation and greater success.Plus, hear answers to questions:
Why they really wrote this book?
What the author truly hopes readers take away.
What did they learn from writing their book?
How did they fit book writing into their life?
What are their goals for 2023?
What’s your “favorite mistake”?
What are some ways you help organizations learn and practice these concepts?
Book: http://mistakesbook.com/
Linkedin: https://lnkd.in/ejTGHhA5
Twitter: https://lnkd.in/eTc5dCRv
Instagram: https://lnkd.in/eb4-BcA2
Facebook: https://lnkd.in/eAQvn3ZQ
Website: https://lnkd.in/e9dnw_fP
Podcast: https://lnkd.in/eq6qT4kT
Check out Mark’s book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation.
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Rep. Adam Smith’s Favorite Mistake from His First Campaign; Recovering from Being ”Lost and Broken”

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My guest for Episode #215 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA). I'm very honored to have him here.
Rep. Smith represents the 9th District of the State of Washington. He was reelected to his 14th term in 2022 and has been the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee since 2011. He served as chair of the committee from 2018–2022 when the Democrats controlled the majority in the US House. 
The Congressman is also the author of a new book, available now, Lost and Broken: My Journey Back from Chronic Pain and Crippling Anxiety.
In this episode, Rep. Smith shares his favorite mistake story about his first-ever campaign and election, for Washington State Senate. What assumption did he make about what would make a successful campaign strategy? Did he adjust and recover in time?
Mark's New Book - "The Mistakes That Make Us"
We also discuss the journey described in his book, a journey back to physical and mental health. What mistakes did he make and what mistakes does Rep. Smith say are common in healthcare? How did he learn not to beat himself up for mistakes and why is sharing mistakes so important to him? How can the rest of us avoid similar mistakes related to health and healthcare?
Mark's New Book – “The Mistakes That Make Us”
Questions and Topics:
Asked on June 1st: Is the U.S. avoiding the national mistake of a debt default?
In the book, you share some mistakes… why is it helpful to do so?
For readers to realize our elected leaders (like all people) make mistakes?
How have you learned to not beat yourself up over mistakes?
Is it a mistake to not want to see a psychotherapist?
How do people know when they should seek help for mental health concerns??
Tell us about the perceived need for a politician to keep mental health problems quiet… going back to VP nominee Thomas Eagleton… a year before I was born, getting replaced as the nominee after past bouts of depression were revealed…
Is the public getting more accepting of admissions of mental health issues?
Doctors failed to get to the root cause of your problems by just pushing pills?
You CAN get better — it was a long journey to find the right caregivers?
Tell us about your book Lost and Broken — how did it come to be?
Did it help you process that stress?
From the book: “My own reelection campaign in 1994 presented challenges, as I have described, but I learned from them. I made mistakes.” — what were those?
Did it get easier to run as the incumbent over time?
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Entrepreneur Zak Waddell on Startup Mistakes and The Bachelorette

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My guest for Episode #214 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Zak Waddell. He’s a college success manager at Woolf — the first global, collegiate higher education institution allowing membership for qualified new colleges through their software platform.
A previous guest, Anthony Trucks, (Episode 97) was a contestant on American Ninja Warrior. Zak was a contestant on a show that might be even more grueling (at least mentally): The Bachelorette (Season 9)
In this episode, Zak shares his favorite mistake story about, as an entrepreneur, falling in love with a business idea instead of starting with the “voice of the customer” and their needs. In this startup, why was it so difficult to challenge the traditional commission-based real estate model? What assumptions turned out not to be true? What did Zak learn? How does the experience with that failed startup help him now?
We also discuss his experience as a contestant on The Bachelorette. Did he ever think it was a mistake to start that journey? What mistakes do contestants make? What mistakes might viewers make when watching a “reality” show? We talk about that and more in this most dramatic episode of My Favorite Mistake yet.
Questions and Topics:
Falling in love with an idea
Need to take a Iterative approach and listening to customers
What assumptions did you have to test?
What did you learn through cycles of learning…
Pivot or Pull the Plug??
Not vetting individuals… not stopping to think if it was the RIGHT team…
How to manage in less hierarchical ways?
Failed startup — really helped him for what he’s doing now
Rigorous iteration — failing fast, failing forward
Applying those lessons to future ventures or Woolf?
The Bachelorette — Was there any point when you felt like it was a mistake to sign up for this — before or during?
Do you try to learn from previous seasons or just do your own thing?
Why does it backfire when a contestant tries to report bad behavior to the Bachelorette?
A mistake as a viewer to think what you see is naturally occurring vs. stirred up by producers? And editors?
Is it by design that more couples from the show are getting married now?
Tried to apply entrepreneurship concepts on the show? Fall fast, fail often?
If asked to write a book about the lessons from the show for business?
Please follow, rate, and review via Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, or your favorite app — that helps others find this content, and you'll be sure to get future episodes as they are released weekly. You can also financially support the show through Spotify.
You can now sign up to get new episodes via email, to make sure you don't miss an episode.
This podcast is part of the Lean Communicators network.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/favorite-mistake/support

Dr. Susan Landers on Medical Career Mistakes and Burnout in Healthcare

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My guest for Episode #213 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Susan Landers, M.D., a retired neonatologist, author, & speaker. She practiced full-time in the NICU for over thirty years and wrote a book about her experience: So Many Babies: My Life Balancing a Busy Medical Career and Motherhood. Susan is an expert in physician burnout, breastfeeding medicine, & donor human milk banking. During her career, she published over thirty peer-reviewed papers.
In this episode, Susan shares her favorite mistake story about a career decision that she thought was a mistake for years… but things turned out fine. But how did she get disillusioned with working in healthcare and how did that lead to burnout? How can we recognize burnout in ourselves (and others) and how can we help? How can we take better care of ourselves?
Mark's new book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation
Questions and Topics:
What was it like to experience burnout?
When and how did this happen to you?
The symptoms of burnout?
Tired vs. burned out?? 
Is it generally true that others notice it before you?
Speaking up if you see this in a loved one: alienating themselves
Can you talk about how you recovered from burnout?
How prevalent is burnout in healthcare?
How much worse is it due to Covid?
Systems thinking — how often do leaders make the mistake of blaming people for getting burned out?
Read about the signs of physician burnout
Get a checklist for signs of burnout in working mothers
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They Painted a Baby? Serial Entrepreneur Matt Shoup on Selling by Sharing Mistakes

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My guest for Episode #212 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Matt Shoup. In 2005, Matt was laid off and then founded M & E Painting, which grew quickly — and has produced over $30 million dollars in revenue since 2005. Matt and M & E Painting have received dozens of business awards.
He's the author of books including his latest, Painted Baby: Connect with Clients through Brave and Vulnerable Storytelling.
Click this link to receive Matt's free tool kit packed with resources to build your business and advance your leadership
Matt was named one Colorado Biz Magazine's Top Five Most Influential Young Professionals (2010), one of 40 Under 40 Top Business Leaders by the Northern Colorado Business Report (2013), amongst other awards.
Matt has founded 6 successful companies and grown them all from the ground up. All of these companies are being run by extraordinary people!  Along the way, Matt received his Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt.
In this episode, Matt shares his favorite mistake story about the time employees of his company accidentally painted a baby due to an equipment mishap. What happened and why did he end up writing a book about it to encourage business owners to own and share their mistakes to connect deeper with clients?
Questions and Topics:
A potential client asked him — “Tell me about a time you screwed up and what you did about it…”
How you reacted to the mistake? Had time to think while driving over there? – Reaction vs. response
Learning from that accident to prevent it?
Not painting a picture of perfection…
Tell us about the time you met Kevin Harrington… Episode 1
Using that story to sell more painting jobs?
Effective in sharing the story proactively?
What’s your secret – what’s your painted baby story?
“I thought selling was telling…”
Right color on the wrong house – how did that happen?
Mayor of Colleyville – demo-ed wrong house
Starting companies and handing them off to be run by others?
“Can the business run without you?” — “Can it grow without you?”
Lessons from jiu jitsu – practicing and teaching it?
Please follow, rate, and review via Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, or your favorite app — that helps others find this content, and you'll be sure to get future episodes as they are released weekly. You can also financially support the show through Spotify.
You can now sign up to get new episodes via email, to make sure you don't miss an episode.
This podcast is part of the Lean Communicators network.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/favorite-mistake/support