Silicon Valley’s “Fail Fast” Mantra

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Failure and fast failures are accompanied by far reaching consequences. These failures require individuals to solicit candid input from others, evaluate their actions, and diagnose their needs for improvement. In the process, individuals may lose their temper at a critical time, feel inadequate and fail to build a team in the organization. It is failure, not success, which pushes people towards learning.

However, the moment after a mistake is usually the worst time to make a correction because adequate time is required to analyze the sequence of events leading to failure. In addition, individuals tend to be very distraught following failure; hence the reason why people will resort to other means to avoid failure.

It is, therefore, no wonder that I agree with Asghar that Silicon Valley’s ‘fail fast’ mantra is just hype (para 1-7). Nearly all rough patches, obstacles, and setbacks provide one dangerously addictive possibility, which is to use shortcuts. For instance, when the going gets difficult, one may be tempted to take some cheaper escape routes as the case with the people in Silicon Valley.

Despite the fact that the inhabitants of Silicon Valley proclaim that failure is good because it propels one forward, the people use shortcuts, for example, the use of growth hackers. Learning from other people’s failures elevates one in a better position that equips him/her with the capability to deal with and avoid the failures that may come along. Mistakes and failures are not unavoidable; they are an essential part of change and innovation.

After failure, leaders are likely to make the most common mistake- attribution error- instead of trying to recover from the failure. The attribution error occurs when individuals assign blame or credit to some factor (s). Failure brings about negative feelings of disappointment and frustration. These feelings might be so intensified to the extent that individuals fail to learn from the failure.

In as much as failure leaves one wiser than he/she was before the failure, history is replete with examples of those who evaded unwanted failures in their companies and organizations. Evading failure blocks an organization’s chances of learning and becoming better in its way of handling issues. Failure enables individuals to have a rejuvenated spirit that aids in addressing hurdles as they emerge.

In addition, such failure promotes open-mindedness among the staff members so that each department develops measures that can prevent paralysis of operations in case a similar destruction occurs in the future. For example, in a case where failure is attributed to infected software application, this prompts departments to brainstorm on feasible ways of backing up information, for example, use of an online network where important files can be stored.

In this case, the company develops a long term solution, but if it had initially used a shortcut in that all IT appliances had been installed through shortcut means, and an external party had been involved. The organization would not have the hands-on skills to solve similar future problems. In addition, commitment is important so that once a plan is strategized, it is followed. Organizations should have a labor force that is up to the task.

In a bid to eliminate failures, there is a need to recruit people who show persistence in difficult situations. The staff’s response to stress and challenges should neither affect the customers, nor the progress of the organization. I am not saying that failure is bound to occur once an organization or individual sets out to execute a certain project. Otherwise, it would be no use trying something that is bound to fail.

All that I am asserting is that individuals should have articulate laid down strategies on how to execute a particular task/project. In the event that failure occurs, the organization or individual should not succumb to the failure, but instead, should establish means to come out of the failure. According to Funston and Wagner, failure and success are intertwined, and this is reiterated in the words of Lee Atwater, “in every victory is the seed of defeat, and in every defeat is the seed of victory” (133).

Failure to anticipate failure only means that things will work out as expected. Yet, this is hardly the case, and failure to anticipate failure results in adverse effects that affect a leader’s capability to minimize the effects that result when failure occurs. I believe that failure is healthy because it enables an organization to adopt proactive strategies that assists it to deal with future obstacles that often result in failure.

These proactive strategies include, but are not limited to, setting goals, anticipating roadblocks, and recruitment and motivation. The process of setting realistic goals cultivates the agenda and desired outcomes. Goal setting helps the leader to search constantly for a smooth roadmap by finding opportunities that help individuals learn from past successes and failures.

In addition, the leader embraces this process of setting goals because it is a means of enhancing performance as individuals aim to achieve laid out targets/outcomes. The staff will match the leader’s expectations because the goals will trigger the staff’s ability to lay out strategies aimed at achieving these goals. Since goals help one to stay on track and guide one’s actions in a systematic way, they should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

SMART goals promote growth in an organization compared to big dreams that will never be achieved. Sustainability of any business requires that the management is able to anticipate future roadblocks and understand how to bypass them. Some roadblocks are inevitable while others can be avoided using the right strategies.

Left unattended, each roadblock has the potential to destroy any successful business. Indicators to check for when determining an organizations readiness for future roadblocks include recognition of future problems, admission of possible flaws or weaknesses in the organizations, and contingency or alternative plans. Anticipating roadblocks enables an organization to develop a recovery process.

This process is fueled by brainstorming new approaches to working, and it focuses on one’s strength to maximize effort and prevent performance deviations. Identifying deviations from standards of performance provides an important method of highlighting areas that are straying from a developed project plan and that require attention.

The motivation of an individual depends on the individual’s perception regarding his or her capability to do a particular job. Great leaders interact with their subordinate employees to inquire if they are experiencing any challenges and how the leaders can help these employees meet their goals.

Staffs need to feel valued, worthwhile and useful. The amount of perceived organizational and supervisory support is seen as recognition of their worth. When staffs are valued and supported, they become more committed and dedicated to their duties. The result is the creation of a lively work environment as the staffs enjoy the work they do.

When the mutually beneficial relationship is established between the staff and the organization, the organization registers improved job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and performance. In most situations, it has been proven that sales can be increased by hiring more sales staff, re-training and motivating the entire sales force.

Nonetheless, failure will sometimes occur even after placing all the mitigation procedures in place. Once, it occurs, an organization should embrace the failure as an opportunity to learn and improve. This can be achieved using different processes. In the first instance, an organization can review its project.

Reviewing a project after its failure is very important because it enables the individuals involved in its layout and implementation to identify gaps that could have led to its failure. The review process entails a thorough re-evaluation of the plan initially laid down, and comparing it to similar past projects executed by other organizations or the organization itself.

For example, if an organization is introducing a new product in the market but the process fails as indicated by low sales, the company leaders come together to determine what might have gone wrong with the process. If they speculate that people’s attitudes and perceptions might have been the problem, then an improved marketing strategy is required.

Secondly, conferences allow different delegates from different organizations to come together and present instances of failure and how to overcome such failures. Such events are insightful because organizations can learn about different types of failure, their associated causes, as well as ineffective and effective strategies.

Baker highlights the need for interacting with the external environment as a means to learn from past failures; thereby, preventing the recurrence of preventable failure (136). The external environment includes competitors and other organizations that have had successful stories about overcoming failures. An organization can organize for a conference with the theme “Fail Forward” as a way of preaching the message of resilience.

Conferences allow different organizations to learn from each other using their own case studies on how to handle failure. In so doing, the organizations are able to learn from the various instances of failure by getting ideas on how to address failure at different levels and in different forms.

Third, periodic meetings within an organization are imperative because they give the employees a chance to table their issues and receive updates regarding different issues. Organizations should use these meetings as avenues to learn from failure by giving employees the opportunity to table their failures that impede achievement of organizational and individual objectives.

These meetings help individuals to understand the supportive structures of the organization in the event of failure. For example, when installing new IT appliances but then they get infected by some virus and important files are corrupted and operations of the organization are paralyzed, departmental and organizational meetings will give insight into the importance of backup structures, types of these structures, and how they can be used to retrieve information.

Learning from failure helps individuals to reflect on the new reality, and it awakens the leaders so that they can be self-aware and understand their environment. There are numerous methods of control after a failure, for example, talking to the staff and establishing a conducive team atmosphere. Subsequently, this ensures any existing gap is brought to the attention of senior management.

Works Cited

Asghar, Rob. “Why Silicon Valley’s ‘Fail Fast’ Mantra Is Just Hype.” Forbes Magazine, 14 July 2014. Web. <https://www.forbes.com/>

Baker, Michael J. Marketing strategy and management. 5^th ed. 2014. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Print.

Funston, Frederick, and S. Wagner. Surviving and Thriving in Uncertainty: Creating the Risk Intelligent Enterprise. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2010. Print.

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Silicon Valley’s “Fail Fast” Mantra

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