innovation

2/05/2007

My awesome co-worker Nick just posted an entry entitled "Rush To Failure", which is absolutely a must read. Here's an anecdotal excerpt to whet your appetite:

...He said that when the four star general originally asked him how long it would take, he responded with 6 months. The general stated that you have one month, and you should use the "Rush to Failure" method. It's a method in which you get there as quick as you can, and try to make the thing break as many times as you can. With one other programmer he set out to do it. In exactly one month, he got it right, and got on a plane to the pentagon to demo his success. He was awarded a 5 million dollar contract, and the rest is history...

If there is one thing that I have realized while studying at colleges, running a startup, and working, is that it is okay to fail. Through a wide array of problem-solving, failure has forced me to throw away principal approaches and be fearless to try something radically different. Besides, what's the worst that can happen? Failure leads to creativity, which can lead to innovation.