The Successes of Failure

I just read a very interesting article entitled A Helpful Guide to Failure in Philanthropy. By Robert Wood (@lblumenthal) with Johnson Foundation. In this article he talks about failing with style and failure as success. When I first read that I was a little concerned; I mean really, how do you fail with success?  He had successfully captured my attention so I continued to read. As a student, we are prone to trying new things, taking a few risks and building portfolios. Much of what we take on has such steep learning curves and we are bound to have mini blunders along the way, so if I can learn how to turn these blunders into "success" - I'm all ears.

I think that most of his tips on how to fail successfully really come down to humility and knowing when not to sweat the small stuff. Many struggle with this; we are all secretly striving for perfection. The sooner we wake up and realize that perfection doesn't exist, the happier we will be.

At a young age I learnt through the 4-H motto "learn to do by doing", that things resonate easier with people if they just try to learn as they go along. That's the case with social media. Is there really any definite best practices out there? -  In my opinion the same goes for volunteering, philanthropy and so much more.  We learn and retain more by doing, by practicing and through trial and error. Key word here: error. As a student and someone new the world of philanthropy and corporate responsibility, I was delighted to hear that I'm not alone out there and that it is possible to fail and to fail with grace.

The more I read and learn about Philanthropy and Corporate Social Responsibility, the more I am beginning to see that it's not only me the "student" struggling to get it right, figure things out and not crash and burn in the big fire pit of failure, but it's multi-million dollar companies who are taking risks and hoping that their new approaches work. For instance Pepsi, for those of you who haven't heard, just launched their Pepsi Refresh Campaign. After years of spending tonnes of money on ineffective Super Bowl ads and not getting the return they use Pepsi is taking a new approach, they are looking for people, businesses, and non-profits with ideas that will have a positive impact. Look around your community and think about how you want to change it, and submit a video detailing your idea to help make a difference. Voting starts February 1st, you can vote for up to 10 of your favorite ideas every day, the Pepsi Refresh Project will be looking for 1000 ideas every month, all voting will take place the first of the month and continue through to the last day of every month. Talk about an innovative idea and a different spin on corporate responsibility.

Local radio stations are even jumping on the corporate social responsibility wagon in lieu of traditional advertising. Right here in Calgary, Energy 101.5 launched their Chris And Meg $1000 Charity Cash Back where they partnered ATB Financial. The winner receives $500 for themselves and $500 for their charity choice. Looks like businesses are willing to go out on a limb, and try something new. Businesses are starting recognizing the importance consumers are beginning to place on corporate responsibility.

Wood (@lblumenthal),  shared a quote from Theodore Roosevelt which I feel is fitting for this post, "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

What are your thoughts on Pepsi's new project? Do you agree that maybe to learn to do by doing and not being afraid of failure could be one of greatest learning tools out there? Does the added bonus of Energy's (you and your charity get $500) make you more apt to want to participate?

Guest Blogger:

This is Amy's second blog posting for Dexterity Consulting.  Amy Lewis is currently completing her Bachelor of Communications-Public Relations Degree at Mount Royal University with an anticipated graduation Summer 2010.  Amy has diverse range communication experience.  Including marketing, media relations and, event planning. For her first internship Amy held the position of marketing coordinator for WorldSkills Calgary 2009.  Amy enjoys exploring the variety of options that Public Relations presents.