People often quote that we learn more from failure than we do from success. It’s become one of those things we just believe, without knowing where we got it from…so I loved it when I came across a study that contradicted this urban myth and suggested it is one of those things we like to say – but isn’t true in real life 🤯

So how does that sit with the equally robust study that says 15% failure is optimal?!

It’s easier to argue for one thing or another, but what I love to do is take two conflicting bits of information or two sides to a story and ask myself this question:

How can both things be true together?

As a leader in my early years, I was very drawn to finding ‘the answer’. These days, I much more drawn to ambiguity, complexity and the possibility that there are several truths.

I’ve discovered that looking for a single truth that can be ‘found’ means I’m oversimplifying. Or deciding on something too early and missing an opportunity hidden in the grey.

It’s truly a great strength in a leader to make the complex simple. It often appears on company competency lists in one way or another. I’m a fan!

However, when I train people to coach or am coaching someone myself, I love to help others to just pause with complexity, allow it to exist. Because bizarre as it sounds, with ambiguity comes choice.

If more than one thing can be true, then alternatives are difficult but possible.

If there is a ‘rule’ in science, we can think about how to be the exception to it.

I hope you enjoy today’s conundrum! I’d love your thoughts and comments.