511: Failing Well Beats Playing It Safe

511: Failing Well Beats Playing It Safe

From Renegade Marketers Unite by Drew Neisser

March 27, 2026 · 51 min · Episode 511

About this episode

This episode discusses the importance of distinguishing between different types of failures to foster innovation and smart risk-taking.

Too many companies treat every failure the same. That makes people more cautious, more guarded, and less willing to take the smart risks innovation requires. Amy Edmondson argues that not all failures deserve the same label. Some are preventable. Some come with complexity. Then there is intelligent failure, the kind that comes with thoughtful experimentation in new territory and produces the learning that moves innovation forward. In this episode, Drew Neisser brings in Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson , a uthor of Right Kind of Wrong , to look at what leaders need to do if they want teams experimenting and learning in unfamiliar territory. For Amy, that starts with a clear goal, a bet no bigger than necessary, and the kind of questions that create enough psychological safety for people to share what they're seeing early. So even when the result falls short, the learning is still useful . What You'll Take Away : The difference between preventable, complex, and intelligent failure Why intelligent failure belongs in new territory What makes an experiment smart, small, and worth running Why high achievers often need a better frame for failure How playing not to lose…

People in this episode

Host: Drew Neisser

Guest: Amy Edmondson

Topics covered

  • failure
  • innovation
  • risk-taking

Keywords

  • intelligent failure
  • experimentation
  • learning

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Right Kind of Wrong

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