Let’s Celebrate Failure: Four Strategies to Turn failures into Opportunities for Success

When I first became a leader in the military, I thought failure was something to avoid at all costs. If someone failed or if I failed the result was push-ups, jumping jacks, and plenty of yelling the old standbys! I figured that if I could just keep my soldiers from messing up, we’d get results faster. Spoiler alert: that didn’t work.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are times in the Army and in other high-stakes organizations where failure simply isn’t an option. In those moments, precision and perfection are critical. But when there’s an opportunity to allow room for failure, we should. It’s in those moments of challenge, experimentation, and reflection that people grow the most. Giving them the space to figure things out for themselves prepares them to excel when it really counts.

Here’s why we should stop fearing failure and start celebrating it:

Failure is Your Best Teacher

As a young leader, I would bark orders, thinking that if I controlled everything, mistakes wouldn’t happen. But guess what? That only made my soldiers too scared to act without a play-by-play from me. They were terrified of making a wrong move, and it slowed everything down. It wasn’t until I started letting them figure things out (and yes, fail a little) that I saw them take charge and grow into confident decision-makers.

The more I trusted them, the more they took ownership and, honestly, it made my life easier, too. Sure, they stumbled here and there, but that’s where the real learning happened.

This doesn’t just apply to soldiers whether you’re managing a sales team or leading a project, giving people room to learn from their mistakes will increase their confidence and self-reliance. When people know failure is part of the process, they build resilience and develop stronger problem-solving skills. Over time, this mindset creates a team that can adapt quickly to new challenges and bounce back from setbacks.

Innovation Thrives on Failure

In business, if people are too afraid to fail, they won’t take risks. And without risks, innovation stalls. So, why not celebrate failure? Encourage your team to take smart risks, knowing that even if they mess up, they’ll learn something valuable. Look at any of the world’s most innovative companies Apple, Google, Amazon and you’ll see that failure is woven into their success stories. It’s through trial and error that they discover groundbreaking ideas and solutions.

Thomas Edison didn’t invent the lightbulb on his first try thankfully, he wasn’t too concerned about his Yelp reviews! It took thousands of failures before he got it right. Go ahead, fail forward!

Imagine a marketing team hesitating to try a new strategy because they’re afraid it will flop. If leaders foster a culture where smart risk-taking is encouraged, the team is far more likely to experiment and drive innovation.

Trust Creates Space for Growth

When team members feel safe to fail, they take more initiative and learn faster. Psychological safety, the belief that mistakes won’t lead to punishment creates an environment of trust. In this environment, failures aren’t seen as shortcomings but as opportunities to grow and improve. This builds a culture where continuous improvement is the norm.

How to Turn Failure into Growth

1. Celebrate Risk-Taking In my experience, celebrating smart risks even when they don’t lead to immediate success sends a powerful message. It shows that innovation is valued and that taking bold steps is encouraged. For example, during a high-stakes project, I made it a point to highlight a team member’s creative idea, even though it didn’t work out. This not only motivated the team but also led to another breakthrough idea later.

2. Debrief After Failures After a failure, I’ve found that private, reflective conversations are invaluable. I often ask open-ended questions like, “What did you learn?” or “What might you do differently next time?” This approach helps the individual own their mistakes and see them as opportunities for growth. By focusing on solutions rather than blame, I’ve seen people grow stronger and more confident.

3. Foster a Growth Mindset In the military, we constantly trained and learned from every exercise, no matter the outcome. I’ve brought that mindset into my leadership style by encouraging teams to embrace continuous learning. Sharing my own lessons from failures has been a powerful way to show that mistakes are part of the process.

4. Create Psychological Safety Removing the fear of punishment has been key to fostering trust in my teams. When people know they can take risks without retribution, they become more creative and willing to innovate. I’ve seen this firsthand when a team, feeling safe to experiment, delivered a solution that exceeded expectations after an earlier misstep.

Final Thoughts: Let’s Celebrate Failure!

Here’s the big secret: failure isn’t the enemy it’s the best teacher you’ll ever have. Whether in the military or the corporate world, failure is part of the path to success. Stop fearing it and start celebrating it. When you give your team room to fail, they’ll take risks, learn faster, and grow stronger. As Winston Churchill famously said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”

When we celebrate failure, we encourage our teams to keep going, keep trying, and ultimately, keep succeeding. In the end, teams that embrace failure are teams that grow faster, innovate more often, and ultimately outperform those stuck in a cycle of perfectionism.

Actionable Tip #1: Incorporate a "failure review" At the end of each project, ask team members to share one thing they learned from a failure and how they’ll apply that lesson moving forward. Why it works: It creates a habit of reflection and turns mistakes into learning moments.

Actionable Tip #2: Start with low-stakes experiments Give your team room to fail in small, manageable ways. Begin with pilot projects or smaller initiatives where the risk of failure is low but the potential for learning is high. Why it works: It builds confidence and fosters creativity without significant risk.

Actionable Tip #3: Reward effort and initiative Publicly recognize team members who take bold steps, even if the results aren’t perfect. This sends the message that trying is just as important as succeeding. Why it works: It encourages innovation and reduces the fear of failure.

How does your team handle failure?

What strategies have worked best for turning mistakes into growth opportunities?

Let’s share ideas and learn from one another in the comments!