By openly sharing failures, you can prevent the duplication of unsuccessful efforts, stimulate the development of new ideas, and foster a culture of continuous experimentation. As Thomas Edison said, ‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.’

The “self-belief” model of motivation assumes that if you acknowledge the possibility of failure, then you’ll be too demoralized or afraid to take risks. In that model, people who believe that failure is unthinkable are the ones who try the hardest to succeed. Yet in practice, things often seem to work the other way around—accepting the possibility