Comments on: How Executives Fail: A book of Recipes

By: Starbucker

Starbucker — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 18:58:55 +0000

Thank you Yvonne, you have certainly whetted my appetite for this book! I can see there’s much accumulated wisdom that will be on those pages, and I always like an approach that can put the tongue in the cheek but yet bring points forcefully home. Can I assume I can pre-order it on Amazon? All the best.

By: Blaine Collins

Blaine Collins — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 09:01:50 +0000

The excerpt from Lee’s book that ends in the following sentence really struck home to me. “If, in short, they don’t know how to fail, then they do not know how to succeed, since these are two aspects of the same thing.”
Like so much in life, its hard to appreciate what you have without experiencing the opposite. Winning/losing, close relationships/loneliness, wealth/poverty, joy/sadness, and success/failure.
Once someone comes to grips with failing, and acknowledges thier role in the outcome, then a Rosa suggests, they can then start anew to achieve an improved outcome.
Good stuff, Yvonne. Thanks for sharing!

By: Rosa Say

Rosa Say — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 00:18:39 +0000

What a treat to get an early preview of Lee’s book Yvonne! A big mahalo to you both!
My, how management has stayed the same, and yet changed so much. This whole train of thought, of knowing how to fail in a right way, was completely foreign to me, and I daresay to all of my peers, throughout most of my career. Failing happened of course, but the mindset we were groomed in at the time was that failure was never an option, and you did all you possibly could to avoid it.
Today, I can see the wisdom in these statements, “Failing on purpose is noble. Failing by default is the clod’s way out.” Lately however, I encounter so much hand-wringing on the lack of work ethic running rampant in business today, that I must wonder if we need more of the “try, and try again; if you fall, keep getting up” prodding, coaching people to simply be more resilient and tenacious. I find I may be coming full circle in preferring to coach more persistence, and the aversion to failure. Therefore, I was very happy to get toward the end of your article to read that Lee explained, “…this book is not really about how to fail. It’s about taking this tongue-in-cheek approach, assuming a position of irony, and grasping a great many useful ideas about how to actually avoid failing.”
It is those “useful ideas” we need, so Lee, bring ‘em on!

By: Steve Sherlock

Steve Sherlock — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 09:22:32 +0000

There is plenty to chew on in this posting. I could comment on a few different things but I think I’ll take the “If …, And …, And if …, Then …” quote this time. This factor is indeed crucial to the success of any group. While it serves to bring the group together in this instance, it can also break a group apart. It has been called many things; corporate culture, the buzz, the mindset, the story… the seeds of it bring the group together. We have witnessed (and participated) this month as many seeds of thought were planted and exchanged here in this community bringing us together in a special way.
Yvonne, thanks indeed for sharing. Thanks also to Lee for allowing this to occur. I know there is a new book on my “to read list” now. When his blog is ready, can you let us know?