Why Leaders Don’t Learn from Success

To Learn, You Need to Fail. Let’s Celebrate Failure!

Love this article from Harvard Business Review on how businesses do not learn from success. They learn much more from failure.

Read it at http://hbr.org/2011/04/why-leaders-dont-learn-from-success/ar/1 or click the image.

The authors say “Success can breed failure by hindering learning.”

When we are successful we make three mistakes:

1. Fundamental attribution error – Assigning the wrong cause (like how smart we are) rather than the real reason for success.
2. Overconfidence bias – Success leads to self-assurance. They think “We can do no wrong.”
3. Failure to ask why – Don’t see the need to ask the tough questions needed.

This article is filled with examples and a lot of information. I suggest all CEOs and Board Members read it.