Go For The Epic Fail

When’s the last time you failed big? Like epic fail?

You probably can’t remember the last time. Most likely because we tend to minimize our risk of failure. Especially big failures.

We feel big epic fails aren’t pretty. Epic fails are nasty, dirty things. But are they really?

In his book Untitled: Thoughts On The Creative Process (Great book, btw), Blaine Hogan shares this story-

I know all too well the painful reality of standing in front of something I’ve made, only to feel the sobering sting of awareness that comes from realizing the “thing” didn’t live up to the pitch.

This failure can be seen as an epic fail. We pitch, we promote, we hype. Only to see what we imagined fall flat on it’s face.

Epic. Failure. It’s all there.

And then Blaine goes on to ask this question-

The Power of Feeling Important

There’s a power that comes with feeling important. You feel like you can take on the world. When you speak, people will respond. The world is ready and waiting to do your bidding.

Bench with This Is Very Important print

Image by Valerie Everett

Many organizations have failed to realize the importance of making their team members feel like they matter. Or to make the company’s mission their own.

Having an employee show up and do the job they were given is more than most employers can even ask. Yet there’s one company who has created a culture that breeds this feeling.

I was amazed as I read a NY Times article regarding the loyalty of Apple Store workers.

The article discussed the pay of the employees and the culture of the workplace. Denyelle Bruno, a former Macy’s West executive and now an executive with Peet’s Coffee, talked about her experience with Apple.