My guest for Episode #287 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Steven L. Blue, the CEO of Miller Ingenuity, a global manufacturer and supplier of railroad parts and high-technology rail safety systems and services.

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He’s a recognized expert in business transformation. With 50 years of experience leading companies across diverse industries like manufacturing and publishing, Steve has a proven track record of turning businesses around and driving massive profit increases.

A best-selling author and regular media personality, Steve is also a sought-after keynote speaker who has spoken at prestigious venues like Harvard Business School, The United Nations, and Carnegie Hall. His leadership insights have been featured in major outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Fox Business, Forbes, and CNBC.

In this episode, we dive into the pivotal lessons learned from mistakes, exploring how past successes can plant the seeds for future missteps. Steve shares his story of a bold but ultimately flawed business venture in Cuba, unpacking how ego and faulty assumptions led to failure—and valuable insights.

We discuss the importance of testing assumptions, inviting challenges from peers and boards, and fostering a culture that learns from, rather than fears, mistakes. Steve also highlights the transformation of Miller Ingenuity, offering wisdom on leadership, rebranding, and building a culture of continuous improvement that empowers employees to innovate and adapt.

This conversation is rich with reflections on the intersection of humility, risk-taking, and the resilience required to navigate today’s business landscape.

Questions and Topics:

• What is your favorite mistake, and what did you learn from it?
• What was the event at Carnegie Hall where you spoke?
• How did you approach navigating the challenges of broadcasting from Cuba?
• Why do you think there was low interest in the U.S. for the Cuba broadcast?
• What lessons did you take away about making assumptions in business?
• How do you accurately forecast interest in new ventures?
• What role does ego play in decision-making, and how can it lead to mistakes?
• Why is failure an important part of learning and eventual success?
• How do you test assumptions before making significant investments?
• What’s the role of a board of directors in challenging and validating assumptions?
• How do you navigate resistance to new ideas within your team or board?
• What was the process behind rebranding Miller Ingenuity?
• How did you ensure the rebrand was successful and aligned with your business goals?
• What role does culture play in Lean manufacturing at Miller Ingenuity?
• How do you foster an environment where employees feel safe admitting mistakes?
• What’s your approach to hiring and ensuring cultural fit within your teams?
• How do you balance empowering teams with stepping in during a crisis?
• What leadership attitudes are most likely to lead to business disasters?
• What steps do you take to prevent and respond to unforeseen disasters?
• What advice would you give to other leaders about sustaining a culture of continuous improvement?

My guest for Episode #286 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Nancy Ho, a distinguished Life Strategist, Clarity Messenger, and State of Mind Specialist with over 26 years of experience guiding individuals toward holistic success. 

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Throughout her illustrious career, Nancy has empowered over 10,000 clients, including C-Suite executives, mid-level managers, and business owners, to navigate the intricate balance between professional achievement and personal fulfillment.  

She’s co-author of the book Success Redefined with Jack Canfield.

In today's episode, Nancy shares the story of her favorite mistake—losing $300,000 in just five months pursuing a lifelong dream of opening a wine bar. She reflects on the critical lessons she learned about the importance of due diligence, trusting gut instincts, and recognizing misaligned partnerships. Nancy discusses how this experience shaped her approach to coaching, helping clients uncover their life purpose, navigate the paradox of professional success, and integrate work and personal fulfillment. She offers practical strategies for managing stress, addressing incomplete tasks, and shifting from fear-based thinking to resilience and clarity. Nancy’s insights provide inspiration and actionable advice for anyone striving to align their career, values, and sense of purpose.

Questions and Topics:

• What is your favorite mistake?
• What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during this venture, and how did you handle them?
• What lessons did you learn from this experience, and how do you apply them in your work today?
• Do you have any regrets about walking away from the business?
• What is your life purpose, and how do you help others articulate theirs?
• What do you mean by the “professional paradox,” and how do you help clients facing career and life challenges?
• How do you approach unraveling the root causes of professional struggles for your clients?
• What strategies do you recommend for managing stress caused by incomplete tasks?
• How do you help clients shift from fear of failure to a mindset of resilience and growth?
• How has this mistake influenced your approach to life and business coaching?

My guest for Episode #281 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Dr. Edward Feinberg, a distinguished expert in restorative dentistry who has dedicated over 40 years to advancing dental care. Dr. Feinberg graduated from Tufts University, was trained by his father, Dr. Elliot Feinberg, a pioneer in full coverage restorative dentistry, and practiced in Scarsdale, New York, before moving to Arizona, where he now practices.

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He is the Director of ONWARD, an online teaching organization for full coverage restorative dentistry, where he has created over 30 courses and provides a wealth of educational resources.

A nationally recognized lecturer and author, Dr. Feinberg has contributed significantly to dental literature, including his essay collection, "Open Wide: Essays on Challenges in Dentistry to Achieve Excellence." He also serves on editorial boards and councils for various dental associations and has been honored with numerous awards for his contributions to the field.

In this episode, Ed shares insights from over 40 years in the field and discusses his unique approach to saving teeth, which contrasts with the widespread practice of extracting teeth and opting for implants. Dr. Feinberg’s "favorite mistake" involved a crown falling off a colleague’s tooth—a rare but impactful error. Through this experience, he reinforced his belief in trial-based dentistry and using precise techniques to ensure long-lasting dental solutions.

Dr. Feinberg advocates for saving teeth first, using crowns and bridges when appropriate, and stresses that implants should only be used when absolutely necessary. The conversation also touches on the overuse of implants in modern dentistry, the importance of prevention, and learning from mistakes to improve patient care.

Questions and Topics:

• What would you say is your favorite mistake?
• Was that the first time a crown had fallen off, or was it just a rare occurrence?
• Were you able to implement any checks or mistake-proofing to prevent this from happening again?
• Can you explain the difference between focusing on the tooth structure above the gum versus below the gum?
• How do you use temporary crowns, and why do some fall out while others don’t?
• Do you believe dental education is keeping up with advancements in restorative techniques?
• What are your thoughts on the current trends in implant dentistry?
• Do you think a lot of dentists are making mistakes with implants, and why?
• Are there preventive or mistake-proofing methods you apply in your practice to avoid common dental issues?
• Why do you think patients typically don’t seek second opinions in dentistry, unlike in medicine?
• Does the overuse of implants lead to malpractice cases or trouble with insurance?
• Why are patients quick to judge dentists based on superficial factors rather than their actual dental work?
• What are your thoughts on veneers—are they purely cosmetic, and when are they appropriate?
• How can dentists better manage biomechanical stress when performing implant procedures?
• Are there concerns about the future reputation of dentistry due to inappropriate practices?
• What advice would you give to patients about prevention and the importance of regular dental hygiene visits?

Key Topics Discussed:

• Dr. Feinberg’s favorite mistake: A crown falling off a colleague’s tooth and the lessons he learned about precision and correcting errors.
• Restorative dentistry techniques: Focusing on the root structure below the gum for crown and bridgework to ensure long-lasting results.
• The overuse of implants: Dr. Feinberg discusses the inappropriate use of implants and his preference for saving teeth when possible.
• Dental education: Concerns that dental schools are not teaching the best restorative methods and the influence of economic pressures on young dentists.
• Precision attachments: A less common, effective alternative to implants that can save teeth, especially for complex cases.
• Patient care and trust: How patients often judge dentists on superficial factors and the importance of second opinions in dental treatment.
• Preventive care: The importance of regular hygiene visits to prevent periodontal bone loss, which is crucial for long-term dental health.

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My guest for Episode #200 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is… me, Mark Graban. It's hard to believe that the podcast has reached 200 episodes. If you forgive me for the other episode (#16) where I talked about my own mistakes, that's 198 guests who have shared compelling “favorite mistake” stories with me.

Enter to win a My Favorite Mistake coffee mug!

In this episode, I'm joined by my guest host, Tom Ehrenfeld. He's the editor who is working with me on my upcoming book, The Mistakes That Make Us. He's also the host of the WLEI podcast from the Lean Enterprise Institute. Tom asks me about my reflections and lessons learned from hosting this podcast, including some of the mistakes I've made as a host and producer. We also discuss themes from my upcoming book about creating a culture of learning from mistakes.

Links and Topics:

• Healthcare Kaizen book
• KaiNexus
• Donnis Todd and Dan Garrison episode
• David Mayer episode
• Mark's podcast mistakes:Didn’t always properly prep guests – especially through a 3rd party PR An experiment that didn’t pan out — recording via a web-based service Naming mistake – My Favorite Mistake vs. Our Favorite Mistakes? Almost lost some recordings (Ep. 16)

Please follow, rate, and review via Apple Podcasts or Podchaser or your favorite app — that helps others find this content and you'll be sure to get future episodes as they are released weekly. You can also become a financial supporter of the show through Anchor.fm.

You can now sign up to get new episodes via email, to make sure you don't miss an episode.

This podcast is part of the Lean Communicators network.

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CEO at Build a Vibrant Culture™

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** Mark's Book: The Mistakes That Make Us **

My guest for Episode #199 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Nicole Greer. She is a principal coach and CEO of Build a Vibrant Culture™, who specializes in helping individuals, corporations, faith-based organizations, and non-profits fulfill their mission and exemplify VIBRANT Leadership™.

For the last 20+ years Nicole has worked as a coach, marketing director, master of first impressions, and sales trainer in the many facets of business. Her experiences working with all kinds of people led her to found Vibrant Coaching. Nicole is a speaker, trainer, facilitator, life and business coach.

In this episode, Nicole tells her favorite mistake story about giving herself away and not realizing her value when she was in a property management job. Why did she agree to do what seemed like a second full-time job for free? How did Nicole realize this was a mistake? What did she learn and how did she adjust? What was “the big mistake” within the mistake story?

We also talk about change management, showing grace, and keeping employees vibrant through coaching them as leaders (which goes beyond reacting constructively to mistakes).

Questions and Topics:

• “Master of first impressions”?
• How do you decide the value that you bring? What you’re getting paid?
• What does “vibrant” in terms of personality?
• How do you define “VIBRANT Leadership”?
• “Get LIT” Lead from within, Integrity, Transformation
• Nicole's LinkedIn article… “The Love Habit”
• What does “showing others grace” mean to you?
• C3: Circumstances Conduct and Consequences
• How have you coached leaders who struggle with how to react to mistakes?
• Book: The One Minute Manager
• Book: How Full is Your Bucket?

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My guest for Episode #198 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Kevin Goldsmith, the chief technology officer at DistroKid, the world’s largest distributor of digital music.

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Kevin is an experienced leader of high-profile, high-performing product, research, and shared technology engineering organizations. An often-invited speaker on building strong engineering teams at conferences internationally – often talking about learning from failure. Has extensive experience building products using Lean, Kanban, Scrum, and Extreme Programming methodologies.

In this episode, Kevin tells his favorite mistake story about the launch of “Spotify Now” when he was an engineering leader at Spotify. Why was there pressure to launch? What mistake did Kevin and team make regarding data from a small group of initial users? How did Spotify leverage its culture of “handling failure well”? What did Kevin learn?

Questions and Topics:

• How do you balance the cost of lost customers vs. the cost of embarrassment?
• Being surprised by the results of experiments
• Was Spotify Now a problem of a bad concept or bad execution? Or Bad design?
• Losing customers as “the cost of learning”
• Organizational learning to not get into this situation again?
• Doing retrospectives on EVERYTHING to remove the stigma?
• The Forbes article that Kevin was quoted in
• People who strongly believe in “accountability” — punishing failures — can you change their minds?
• Failure vs. mistake? — how would you compare those words?
• Tell us a little bit more about DistroKid – strengthening this culture of learning from mistakes?

Video and Blog Post by Kevin:

• Fail Fast, Fail Smart… Succeed! by Kevin Goldsmith
• Blog post version of the story at Spotify

Please follow, rate, and review via Apple Podcasts or Podchaser or your favorite app — that helps others find this content and you'll be sure to get future episodes as they are released weekly. You can also become a financial supporter of the show through Anchor.fm.

You can now sign up to get new episodes via email, to make sure you don't miss an episode.

This podcast is part of the Lean Communicators network.

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Host of the "I Have ADHD" podcast

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** I WANT TO WRITE MY BOOK (ad) **

My guest for Episode #197 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Kristen Carder. She is a serial entrepreneur and mindset coach for adults with ADHD. She's the host of a podcast: “I Have ADHD.”

In this episode, Kristen tells her favorite mistake story about spending $10,000 on a “mastermind” group that was not at all what she expected. Why was there a gap between her expectations and reality? When did she realize there was a problem? What did she do and how did she learn from this, as a coach-ee and a coach? We also talk about mistakes related to understanding ADHD and living with it — at work and in our personal lives.

As she always says on her podcast, she's “medicated, caffeinated, and ready to roll.”

Questions and Topics:

• When did you realize it was a mistake? Did you ask for a refund? 3 reasons why not…
• When should somebody join a “mastermind” instead of getting 1×1 coaching?
• Lesson learned: explicitly lays out WHAT a mastermind is when she sells one
• Red flags that you’re getting bad info about ADHD?
• Why ADHD is not simply a “gift” or a “superpower”?
• How do you define ADHD?
• The inability to direct attention
• Trouble regulating impulse – attention and emotion?
• You were diagnosed in college… I was diagnosed last year at age 48… what led to you getting diagnosed?
• Causes? Differences in the brain?
• A mistake to tell people at work that you’re ADHD?
• Explanation not an excuse
• Her FOCUSED coaching program

Please follow, rate, and review via Apple Podcasts or Podchaser or your favorite app — that helps others find this content and you'll be sure to get future episodes as they are released weekly. You can also become a financial supporter of the show through Anchor.fm.

You can now sign up to get new episodes via email, to make sure you don't miss an episode.

This podcast is part of the Lean Communicators network.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-favorite-mistake-reflections-from-business-leaders/id1527152217 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/favorite-mistake/support

Kevin Harrington, from "Shark Tank" and creator of the infomercial.

Welcome to My Favorite Mistake. I’m Mark Graban. This is “just the mistake” — a new experiment.

Today we’ll hear the “favorite mistake” story shared, in episode #1, by Kevin Harrington — one of the “sharks” on season 1 of the show “Shark Tank.” He was the creator of the modern 30-minute infomercial and he shared a powerful story from 30 years ago.

To hear the entire episode with Kevin and his co-author Mark Timm, go to www.MarkGraban.com/mistake1

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CEO of Props -- ⁠Episode page with video, transcript, links and more⁠

My guest for Episode #196 of the ⁠My Favorite Mistake⁠ podcast is Joe Perello, president and CEO of Props, a first-of-its-kind, marketing technology platform enabling DTC brands. Joe is also a member of the board of directors of New York Cruise Lines.

Prior to Props, he co-founded and led an NYC-based digital agency and bootstrapped it into an award-winning shop.

In 2003, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Joe as the first Chief Marketing Officer of the City of New York. Joe and his team created the first self-funded marketing and promotional engine in the City's history, generating more than $100 million and paving the way for unprecedented results in tourism.

Joe was the Vice President of Business Development for the New York Yankees during some of their most successful seasons, reporting to the late George M. Steinbrenner.

In this episode, Joe tells his favorite mistake story about a “work divorce” that was “really hard” — was it a mistake to separate himself from a company and certain workplace relationships? How did he learn to take responsibility for those relationships? We also discuss how to create a culture of learning from mistakes and creating an environment where you can be wrong.

Questions and Topics:

• Work divorces are hard… it WAS the right thing to do
• Felt like it WAS a mistake as it happened – turned out to be best…
• Fear — no idea what I was going to do next…. — uncertainty or a mistake
• It’s always a judgment call – a mistake or not??
• The founder dynamic made it more difficult – personal pride
• Lessons learned to prevent future work divorces??
• Culture of learning from mistakes? “Create an environment where you can be wrong…”
• Getting things wrong helps us get it right??
• “I don’t want to be right I just want to win”
• Direct marketing – test and learn, test and learn
• Fail fast, fail often?
• Props – how did the company pivot??
• Mistakes that marketers make? Being inauthentic or failed attempt at authenticity that didn’t ring true?
• Mistaken perceptions of the late George Steinbrenner… public perception vs reality?

Please ⁠follow⁠, rate, and review via ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ or ⁠Podchaser⁠ or your favorite app — that helps others find this content and you'll be sure to get future episodes as they are released weekly. You can also ⁠become a financial supporter of the show through Anchor.fm⁠.

You can now ⁠sign up to get new episodes via email⁠, to make sure you don't miss an episode.

This podcast is part of the ⁠Lean Communicators network⁠.

 

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I WANT TO WRITE MY BOOK (ad)

My guest for Episode #195 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Ward Vuillemot. Ward is a seasoned C-suite executive with over six years of experience leading fully remote teams while building technology organizations from the ground up for companies with 150 to 650 employees in size and $50M to $125M in revenue across the Americas and Europe.

He is currently Chief Product Officer and CTO at RealSelf. He is a technical advisor with his own company, where he advises startup founders and CEOs on technical roadmap and technology organization along with lean approaches to finding market signals quickly.

I invited Ward because of this Forbes article about celebrating errors.

In this episode, Ward tells his favorite mistake story about launching “Amazon Tote” and why there was “too little friction” in user experience. What did he learn about understanding the customer experience? In a separate story, what was Ward's epiphany about seeing an ant on a bus?

Questions and Topics:

• Innovation is doing something others haven’t done before
• Tell us about the Celebration of Error (CoE) concept – and practice…
• Chicken and egg between psychological safety and CoE?
• How much Psychological Safety is necessary and how does CoE build more PS?
• From Correction of Error (Amazon) to Celebration of Error?
• Are all errors created equally in terms of what to celebrate?
• Discovering mistakes that had been there for years
• As a person who is “high-functioning autistic” – is it ever a mistake to disclose something that personal?
• From mindset to document?

1. IMPACT of the error on business – send to whole company?… why it matters, not why it happened
2. RESOLUTIONS — short-term and long-term (countermeasures) – fire out, then prevention
3. ROOT CAUSE – “show your work”

• When to use a CoE?
• People “NEED” to make mistakes to hit ever-greater goals?
• Taking an impersonal, non-blaming approach — easier said than done? Fighting the instinct to blame?

Please follow, rate, and review via Apple Podcasts or Podchaser or your favorite app — that helps others find this content and you'll be sure to get future episodes as they are released weekly. You can also become a financial supporter of the show through Anchor.fm.

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This podcast is part of the Lean Communicators network.

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Author of the book YOU’RE THE LEADER. NOW WHAT? Leadership Lessons from Mayo Clinic.

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My guest for Episode #194 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Richard Winters, M.D., an emergency physician at the Mayo Clinic. And he’s the author of YOU’RE THE LEADER. NOW WHAT? Leadership Lessons from Mayo Clinic.

As director of Leadership Development for the Mayo Clinic Care Network and as an executive coach, Dr. Winters provides coaching for Mayo Clinic leaders.

Dr. Winters graduated from the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in 1994 and returned to Mayo Clinic in 2015.

Previously, Winters served as managing partner of a democratic physician group, department chair of an emergency department, and president of an 800-physician medical staff.

In this episode, Dr. Winters tells his favorite mistake story about being a little too transparent with physicians in a meeting at Mayo Clinic. Why did so many physicians get upset about this discussion about data around billing practices? Why did it help for him to admit the mistake? How did he adjust and what did he learn from this mistake?

We also talk about questions and topics, including:

• Was it a mistake to be so transparent?
• Breaking down hierarchy and hearing the perspectives of others
• Burnout in healthcare, not just doctors but nurses and others… bad before COVID, worse now?
• Psychological well-being — 6 dimensions
• What are key signs of burnout? How to recognize it and how to bring it up??
• Is burnout different than depression?
• A mistake to blame the person who is burned out? Resiliency training?
• Fix the person or fix the environment?
• Your book — the “now what?” Implies being thrown into a leadership role… is there enough formal leadership education, development, and mentoring in healthcare?
• How are physicians taught about leading — and being parts of care teams — during medical school and residency? Formal education or seeing the behavior modeled by others?
• Ronald Heifitz – technical vs adaptive challenges
• Key differences in the leadership style at Mayo Clinic?
• Responding to clinical mistakes… medical error, patient harm?
• To you, what are the ideal leader behaviors?
• There’s normally so much hierarchy in HC… what was the “democratic physician group” that you were a part of, what does that mean?

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This podcast is part of the Lean Communicators network.

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CEO of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital.

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My guest for Episode #193 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Kurt Wilkin, a co-founder and CEO of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital. His bio says he's “coach, mentor, entrepreneur… and proud mistake-maker.”

Prior to founding HireBetter, Kurt founded and led The Controller Group (TCG), a professional services firm focused on accounting, technology and recruiting, which was acquired by Tatum in 2006.

He’s the author of a new book, Who's Your Mike?: A No-Bullshit Guide to the People You'll Meet on Your Entrepreneurial Journey. You can learn more at WhosYourMike.com.

His quiz that he mentioned in the episode: WHOSYOURMIKE.COM/QUIZ

In this episode, Kurt tells his favorite mistake story about not having a complementary “execution partner” to help him run a business. How (and why) did he adjust? Why did he step aside from the CEO role and what did he learn from this entire experience that serves him well today?

We also talk about questions and topics, including:

• What does it mean to you to be a “proud mistake maker”??”
• How do you try to create a culture where people can also be proud mistake makers? Leading by example?
• Investing in people who are humble enough to learn…
• Learning from mistakes vs. avoiding company-killing mistakes?
• You’ve said that you saw your dad struggle as an entrepreneur. Were you able to learn from any of his mistakes?
• You joined a failed startup in the dot-com bubble… any lessons learned from that?
• Mistake to try to swing for the fences vs. lifestyle cashflow positive business
• TELL US ABOUT THE BOOK: A business book for people who hate business books?

Find Kurt on social media:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

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President of InQuasive, Inc.,

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My guest for Episode #192 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Michael Reddington, an expert forensic interviewer and the President of InQuasive, Inc., which provides businesses and leaders with the tools they need to improve their leadership by activating the truth in all of their business interactions.

In his new book, The Disciplined Listening Method: How a Certified Forensic Interviewer Unlocks Hidden Value in Every Conversation (Per Capita Publishing, March 2022), Michael details his innovative listening approach for anyone looking to improve their communication and relationship-building skills. Using his background in forensics and his understanding of human behavior through interrogation, Michael teaches businesses to use the truth to their advantage.

In this episode, Michael tells his favorite mistake story about making assumptions about a client's readiness to work with him. Did “arrogance” lead to him not having a plan or a strategy? What did Michael learn and what did he start doing differently as a result?

We also talk about questions and topics, including:

• Making assumptions — Ellen Patnaude episode 141
• Started out working in loss prevention — Identifying shoplifters and dishonest employees?
• How you introduce yourself… and how has that changed?
• What is a Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI)?
• TV and movie investigations — realistic or cliched nonsense? – Hollywood and “24”?
• How do you approach getting people to share information about their mistakes (or crimes?) when it might not be in their interest to be truthful?
• Leadership coaching, sales & negotiation training…
• Tell us about the book – who is this for?
• Consultant asking prospect about problems they need to solve? How to get them to open up?
• What is the “disciplined listening method” and what makes it “disciplined”?
• Tell us about InQuasive and the work you do… who hires you and to do what?

Find Michael and his company on social media:

• LinkedIn (personal)
• Twitter
• YouTube
• LinkedIn (company)

This podcast is part of the Lean Communicators network.

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My guest for Episode #280 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Steve Pereira. He has spent over two decades improving the flow of work across organizations. He’s worked through tech support, IT management, platform and infrastructure engineering, product management, and as a founding CTO for enterprise SaaS.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

He serves as CEO of Visible Consulting, as COO to the Value Stream Management Consortium, Chair of the OASIS VSM Interoperability technical committee, and co-founder of the Flow Collective to bring flow-focused professionals together. Since 2017, he has been developing and facilitating Flow Engineering.

He is the co-author of Flow Engineering: From Value Stream Mapping to Effective Action - his co-author, Andrew Davis, was a guest here recently. Steve and Andrew also joined me for an episode of "Lean Blog Interviews."

In this episode, Steve shares his journey in improving workflows and the lessons learned from his favorite mistake. Steve recounts how, in a previous role as a developer, he assumed that his own needs mirrored those of other developers, leading him to spend significant time creating a solution without gathering proper feedback. This isolated approach resulted in wasted time and an ineffective outcome. Through this mistake, Steve realized the importance of customer validation and iterative development, key principles he now applies in his work.

We also explored the concept of "failure debt," the role of psychological safety in fostering learning from mistakes, and how flow engineering can transform collaborative workflows.

Questions and Topics:

• What would you say is your favorite mistake?
• How did things play out with that mistake in your career?
• How many other developers were you working with on this task?
• When did you realize the project wasn't working, and how did you adjust?
• How did you eventually start to learn from these mistakes?
• When did these lessons become more clear to you in your career?
• Can you elaborate on how sharing mistakes publicly helped lessen the sting over time?
• How would you define 'flow engineering' for someone outside of software development?
• How do you think mistakes, bugs, or defects affect flow? Do speed and quality go hand in hand?
• What are your thoughts on how leaders can foster psychological safety and a learning culture where mistakes are embraced?
• What is 'failure debt' and how can organizations address it?
• Did the writing process for Flow Engineering reflect some of these lessons on customer feedback and iteration?

Key Topics:

• Steve's favorite mistake of assuming his own needs were the same as other developers, leading to wasted time.
• Importance of customer feedback and validation in technical projects.
• The Abilene Paradox and how it relates to satisfying multiple stakeholders poorly.
• Learning from mistakes over time, especially in leadership roles like CTO.
• The impact of public accountability in lessening the sting of failure.
• Definition and application of flow engineering to improve collaborative workflows.
• The relationship between mistakes and flow, and how speed and quality work together.
• The role of psychological safety in creating a learning organization.
• Concept of failure debt and how unaddressed failures can accumulate, leading to bigger issues.
• How Flow Engineering was written iteratively, applying lessons learned from Steve’s career.

Founder and CEO of NeuroHealth Partners, LLC.

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My guest for Episode #191 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Julia DiGangi, the founder and CEO of NeuroHealth Partners, LLC.

Dr. DiGangi holds a Ph.D. in psychology and has worked in the field of neuroscience. She has published extensively in the scientific literature. She is known for her engaging, funny, and relatable communication style, which allows her to help others think about how the brain’s “wiring” affects workplace behaviors such as motivation, performance, and relationships.

She has also worked extensively in U.S. politics, including on presidential campaigns and at The White House Press Office, so she is accustomed to helping people gracefully navigate fast-paced, high-stakes professional environments. She has also given a TEDx talk on the relationship between our brains and stress.

In this episode, Julia tells her favorite mistake story about the very painful mistake of leaving academia. When did it feel like a mistake that “ruined everything” and how did she reach the point of “post-traumatic growth”? We also discuss her expertise in how the brain and the body react to mistakes and how we can go from “avoiding pain” to “choosing the most powerful pain.”

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Did you OVER in your academia work?
• Was there a time when it DID feel like a mistake?
• “Leaving the pain behind??” – “the brain is a pain detection machine” – the brain will generate pain
• How did you end up in politics? This was before academia
• What happens when you make a mistake — reaction in your nervous system?
• Perfectionism — fear of mistakes
• How do we move forward from those feelings?
• Leadership & emotional intelligence are key themes
• Are we OVERcomplicating E.I.?
• Understanding others vs. understanding ourselves?
• Upcoming book — tell us about that
• “From Pain to Power….”

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Founder of GoPositiv

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My guest for Episode #190 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Don Sandel. He’s a former executive turned leadership coach and is the founder of GoPositiv.

He’s been leading talent development efforts for small and large organizations for the last few decades and has transitioned those skills and experiences into GoPositiv and now to books as well. He’s the author of the book Positive Mindshift: Making Good Things Happen in Life and Work.

He began studying the brain and its effect on learning about a decade ago, and discovered compelling and irrefutable research around positivity.

In this episode, Don tells his favorite mistake story about a time when he was working for a large global company and he listened to self-doubt triggered by a comment from his boss. Why did he give the worst presentation of his life? And what did he learn from this experience in a way that inspired him to start studying positivity??

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• What sorts of positive self talk would you say before giving a speech??
• How to aggressively battle the negative self talk and change that to positive self talk?
• What prompted you to study positivity? How did you study this?
• Not being a “Pollyanna”?
• John Saunders, who introduced us — his episode
• Does positivity lead to better medical outcomes if you have cancer or another serious ailment?
• Weight loss and motivation — talking about positive motivations instead of negative / barriers?
• Losing weight vs. getting healthier??
• Is it too negative to think about mistakes? How can we be positive about mistakes?
• The definition of optimism – thinking things will be better
• “If dream it, you can do it” —- really?
• Is “toxic positivity” really a concern? What does that phrase mean to you?
• How would positivity have helped in your previous corporate jobs? Were better performing organizations more positive? Experience vs research?
• Optimistic salespeople

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Finalist on The Apprentice UK

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My guest for Episode #189 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Sabrina Stocker, a tennis player turned entrepreneur, an international speaker, and a finalist for the BBC One show, The Apprentice.

She’s founded multiple businesses, and she is now a publicist and the Founder of Two Comma PR – a Public Relations firm. She wants to inspire and help others to become the best versions of themselves, specifically through helping start and scale their business.

In this episode, Sabrina tells her favorite mistake story about listening to somebody else's advice when she was running a startup tennis events business. Why was she “fueled by fire” when she returned from a long break and was that a mistake to be driven by frustration and a desire to beat a rival instead of an intrinsic drive to serve customers? Did she make mistakes on The Apprentice?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• As a tennis player, what was your perspective on mistakes? Mistakes in strategy, when to adjust? Mistakes on a particular shot? Coaching players how to think about mistakes?
• “Unforced errors” as a phrase in tennis…
• As a leader — can’t blame… “human error is always going to happen”
• The Apprentice UK — tell us about Lord Alan Sugar
• Mistakes while on The Apprentice? Did you get fired because of a mistake?
• More room to recover from a career mistake at your age?
• You’ve done a lot at a young age… started your first business at 14 — what was that?
• Benefits of learning from mistakes at a young age? Was that anything you were aware of?
• Social media mistakes?
• Mistakes related to P.R.?
• Mistake to send repeated automated follow up emails on a pitch?

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Keynote speaker, author, coach, and more

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My guest for Episode #188 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Simon T. Bailey. He’s a keynote speaker, a success coach, an author, a television host, and philanthropist — he has worked with over 2,000 companies in 50 different countries.

SUCCESS magazine calls Simon one of the top 25 people who will help you reach your business and life goals.

He’s the author of books including Release Your Brilliance: The 4 Steps to Transforming Your Life and Revealing Your Genius to the World and his most recent book, Ignite the Power of Women in Your Life – A Guide For Men.

Before starting his company, he worked for the Walt Disney Company, including four years as the Sales Director for the Disney Institute. His degrees include a master’s from Faith Christian University and three honorary doctorate degrees.

His main website is SimonTBailey.com and his book’s website is IgniteThePowerofWomen.com.

In this episode, Simon tells his favorite mistake story from his time as a Disney executive. Why did he violate the rule of “never talk to the media unless authorized” — and why did his boss ask “what were you thinking?” Was that “career suicide” or did it “change the trajectory” of his future? What can we learn from his experience?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Your career transition?
• Tell us about your latest book, Ignite the Power of Women… what was the spark that led to it?
• How much do men need to help vs. getting out of the way?
• Why do you say this is now “the age of the woman”?
• “Coaching is not telling, it’s asking”
• You say gender equality benefits everyone… how does gender equality benefit men?
• Intersectionality — Different support for a woman of color?
• You wrote that it took 3 years to write the book — ten drafts, 3 title changes… tell us more about that journey and bringing it to the finish line?
• Your next book?
• Tell us a little bit about a non-profit that you support, Global Servants and what they do… globalservants.org

Find Simon on social media:

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
• TikTok
• YouTube
• Twitter

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Founder of Power Up Your Team

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My guest for Episode #187 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Martina Kuhlmeyer, the Founder of Power Up Your Team — and she’s the host of a podcast with that same name.

As Leadership Coach and Team Building Strategist, she is guiding CEOs and Founders in high-growth companies to build a resilient team so they can scale and win in the marketplace.

Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Martina spent 30+ years working for small and several fortune 100 companies, including General Electric, Textron, Fidelity Investments and Liberty Mutual. Martina held a variety of executive roles focused on continuous improvement AND driving large strategic change initiatives. As P&L owner, she managed the successful turnaround of a $1.3 billion asset portfolio management company.

Martina was born and raised in Germany.

In this episode, Martina tells her favorite mistake story about starting to use a management process called “strategy deployment” (a.k.a. "hoshin kanri") and how she overcomplicated it by having too many “high-priority” initiatives. Why did she and others on her team make that mistake? How did they recover? And how did they work to create a culture that adjusts and learns from mistakes?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• We were introduced by Karyn Ross from Episode 3
• Karyn's foundation - the Love and Kindness Project
• “Strategy Deployment” (or “Hoshin Kanri“)
• What was the Impact of this mistake? – over processing
• What did you learn and how did you adjust? — “reflection and insight”
• A mistake to think you’re going to do something new in a perfect way?
• Mistake of having too many “high priority” initiatives?
• How do you create a culture in an organization where learning from mistakes is a reality?
• Mistake to use too much jargon around continuous improvement?
• “Strategy alignment” vs “strategy deployment”
• Mistake to have a large scale initiative (like Lean or Six Sigma) when the CEO isn’t full leading it?
• Tell us about the podcast

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Professor, former business school dean, expert on mistake proofing

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My guest for Episode #186 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is John Grout. He is the former dean of the Campbell School of Business at Berry College in Rome, Georgia.

He’s the current Chair of the Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Data Analytics Department and the David C. Garrett Jr. Professor of Business Administration. John has overseen the development, approval and implementation of Berry College’s Creative Technologies program and Berry’s makerspace, HackBerry Lab.

Dr. Grout has researched mistake-proofing extensively and published numerous articles on mistake-proofing. In 2004, John received the Shingo Prize for his paper, “The Human Side of Mistake-Proofing” with Douglas Stewart. John has also consulted with a large variety of firms to mistake-proof their processes. Check out his website, www.MistakeProofing.com.

He’s also published “Mistake-Proofing the Design of Health Care Processes” a book that’s freely available online.

In this episode, John tells his favorite mistake story about using early mistakes to learn and then win a tower-building exercise, defeating a number of “A students” in the process. From John's story, what does that teach us about learning from mistakes — early and often — in a way that propels toward success? Why is this an entrepreneurship lesson (or a human lesson) and not just an engineering lesson?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Surprisingly, it’s the A students” who think they know how the world works
• Knowing vs. Experimenting?
• “It’s all about the scientific method” — Lean Startup
• PDCA = Plan Do Check Adjust
• Others didn’t observe and learn from your mistake?
• Spaghetti building – kindergartners vs. MBA
• TED talk — the god complex, trial and error
• Small tests of change = mistake mitigation method
• Chick-fil-A, ThedaCare, and rapid prototyping
• ThedaCare stories
• Adam Savage – Every Tool's a Hammer book
• How do you define mistakes? Strict definition vs common definition?

mistakes —

1. (strict definition) conscious deliberation that leads to selecting the wrong intention.
2. (common definition) synonym for error. For example, the term mistake-proofing uses the common definition since mistake-proofing is used more to prevent slips than mistakes (using strict definition)

• Errors – breaks down then into mistakes vs slips
• Mistake – do what you intended to do
• Slips — right intent but not executed well
• How do you define “mistake proofing”?? Or Slip-Proofing
• How do we decide if mistakes or slips are preventable? “Different vocabularies” for each…
• Why are checklists the “weakest form of mistake proofing”?
• Some recent examples you’ve seen of mistake proofing in everyday life?
• Be careful signs…
• “How can I make this process fail? Make it fail in a benign way…”
• The language around “mistake proofing” or “error proofing” vs. — is it a mistake to say things like “fool proofing” or “idiot proofing”??

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Dentist, author, podcaster, speaker, and more

Episode page with video, transcript, links, and more

My guest for Episode #185 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Dr. Monica Anderson, a.ka. Dr. mOe. She is a dentist… she is and does many things… including bestselling author, podcast host, dynamic “mOe-tivational” speaker, cancer survivor, and leader of the non-profit, Drop The Drugs, Inc.

She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Parade Magazine, Fox News, and ABC’s Good Morning Texas. And now, here!

Dr.mOe couples her business and personal experiences, to share game-changing, powerful life lessons with both humor and passion. And, by the way, I didn't make a mistake in the capitalization of her nickname!

Dr. mOe has published several books, including her 2021 novel, Never Close Your Heart, and her most recent

Dr. mOe has published several books, including her 2021 novel, Never Close Your Heart, and her most recent book Launch Your Self-Publishing Journey: The Busy Author’s Guide to Write, Publish, and Sell Your Book Fast!

Her podcast is “Perpetual mOetion With Dr mOe Anderson.”

In this episode, Dr. mOe tells her favorite mistake story about signing a contract to take a job, without knowing the name of the organization! Why did it seem like a huge mistake to take that job (under those conditions) and how did it turn out to be a great learning opportunity for her through those challenges? What did she learn about the mistakes we can make when changing jobs?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Not a mistake to leave private practice?
• Mistake to accept a job not knowing WHO the client was, signed a contract…
• The non-profit she leads, Drop The Drugs, Inc.
• As a dentist – what are you taught (school or workplace) about dealing with possible mistakes as a dentist?
• Preventing vs. correcting mistakes in dental work?
• You've written multiple novels and then non-fiction books including that book about self-publishing — what got you started as a writer?
• Tell us about your podcast – “Perpetual mOetion With Dr mOe Anderson”

Find Dr. mOe on social media:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

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CEO of GreenPal

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My guest for Episode #184 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Bryan Clayton. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of GreenPal, an online marketplace that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals. GreenPal has been called the “Uber for lawn care” by Entrepreneur magazine and has over 300,000 active users completing thousands of transactions per day.

Before starting GreenPal, 10 years ago, Bryan Clayton founded Peachtree Inc., one of the largest landscaping companies in the state of Tennessee, growing it to over 150 people and $10 million a year in annual revenue before it was acquired in 2013. Bryan‘s interest and expertise are related to entrepreneurism, small business growth, marketing, and bootstrapping businesses from zero revenue to profitability and exit.

In this episode, Bryan tells his favorite mistake story about outsourcing the development of an app, thinking all he had to do was the marketing. What went wrong and how did he discover the mistake? What did he learn and what did he learn about mistakes, leadership, and culture in an organization more broadly?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Where did you get the idea to outsource?
• When did you first start discovering that it was a mistake?
• Using “Lean Startup” principles?
• What was your Minimum Viable Product?
• What’s your mindset on mistakes that happen in the company now?
• From a culture standpoint, what did you learn from the first company that you applied to the second?
• “You get the company culture that you deserve as a leader”
• “I made every mistake you could make” – felt victimized
• “Took me a long time to self reflect about the mistakes I made.”
• Do you ask for feedback from employees about the culture?
• Mistakes people make when hiring a lawn care company?

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Professor, author, and researcher on "self-compassion"

My guest for Episode #183 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is psychologist Dr. Kristin Neff.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

She is the author of the books Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, and the 2021 follow up book — Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power and Thrive.

Kristin received her doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley and is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. While doing her post-doctoral work she decided to conduct research on self-compassion – a central construct in Buddhist psychology and one that had not yet been examined empirically.

I learned about Kristin's work thanks to a mention of her by Dan Pink, my guest in Episode 137.

In this episode, Kristin tells her favorite mistake story about passionately defending one of her dissertation students who wasn't passed by a new assistant professor. Why was Kristin being a “mama bear” and why was she called on the carpet by her department chair? What did she learn from this experience and how did she apply “self-compassion” to herself in this instance?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Before talking about self-compassion, people might have mistaken definitions of compassion… how do you describe the true meaning of compassion toward others?
• HBR – self-compassion articles
• “Self-compassion vs. self-esteem”
• Finding the balance in acknowledging, reflecting, and learning vs. dwelling…
• “Having compassion also means that you offer understanding and kindness to others when they fail or make mistakes, rather than judging them harshly.” — can you share an example that illustrates that?
• How can we practice self compassion when we realize we have made a mistake in our work?
• Important to soothe ourselves before reflecting on our mistake? How we might do that?
• Does it help us be self-compassionate when others are compassionate toward us when we make mistakes?
• What Self-Compassion is not — mistaken views?
• Self-Compassion free survey

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Chairman and co-founder of Rice Cohen International

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My guest for Episode #182 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Gene Rice, the Chairman and Co-Founder of Rice Cohen International. He's the co-author, with his daughter, of the book Grad to Grown-Up: 68 Tips to Excel in Your Personal and Professional Life. You can learn more at the book's website.

Gene has been in the recruiting industry for nearly 30 years and has been recognized as one of the top Executive Search professionals in the world. He has completed over 1,000 retained searches which have included 211 in the C-suite. Having also filled over 300 Partner, Principal, and Director level searches in the Management Consulting, Performance Improvement, and EdTech verticals, Gene is considered to be the #1 search executive in the space. He has even been recognized by Recruiter.com as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the History of the Executive Recruiting Industry.”

Gene also co-founded Rice Cohen Training & Consulting, the largest training firm focused on improving the skills of executive recruiters. Gene is very passionate about this space and believes in supporting the industry he loves. He has become an Executive Coach to the CEOs of many search firms.

As an active member of the community, Gene finds various ways to give back and contribute. After years of being involved with the Make-a-Wish Foundation and serving on the board, Gene and his wife Michele founded the Plant A Seed, Inspire A Dream Foundation. The 501 c-3 non-profit helps financially challenged youth to pursue their passions. Since being founded in 2008, the foundation has awarded over 700 scholarships and has been featured in People Magazine.

In this episode, Gene tells his favorite mistake story about quitting a job to start a competing live music venue on Long Island and how his “huge ego” led him to be “impulsive” in the decision to do so. Why does he say it “could have destroyed” him, why is it better to make mistakes like this when you're young, and how did he apply the lessons learned in his successful career?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Coaching young professionals who make mistakes?
• Mistakes in working with an executive retained recruiter as a candidate?
• Selecting C-level executives? — what helps make for a good match (3 things you really need)
• The importance of C-level executives also having personal success and professional fulfillment (not just a job) — get your arms around that as a young professional
• Coaching college interns — helping them the first time they fail… looking at failing differently
• Charity that he started in 2008 with his wife: “Plant A Seed Inspire A Dream Foundation”

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My guest for Episode #279 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Cynthia Kay, author of Small Business Big Success: Proven Strategies to Beat the Odds and Grow a Great Business.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

As a business owner for over 35 years, Cynthia Kay has attracted well-known and respected customers from the global Fortune 100 to smaller forward-thinking businesses. Along the way, she has developed practical, actionable strategies for businesses from starting up to stepping out. 

As a former board chair of the National Small Business Association, she had advocated for small businesses and spoken to diverse audiences across the country. She has also mentored business owners as a member of the American Academy of Entrepreneurs. 

In this episode, Cynthia shares her journey as a business owner and the lessons she's learned along the way. Cynthia discusses her favorite mistake—starting her business with a partner who wasn’t a good fit. Despite planning out the financial and operational aspects, she overlooked the importance of aligning on working styles, values, and approaches to growth. Over time, their differing perspectives, particularly around scaling the business and relinquishing control, created tension. This led to the eventual dissolution of the partnership.

Through this experience, Cynthia developed the idea of a "business prenup," emphasizing the importance of thorough communication and alignment before entering into partnerships. She also offers advice on leadership, hiring, and building a resilient organization.

Questions and Topics:

• What would you say is your favorite mistake?
• Why do you think the partnership didn’t work?
• How did things end up playing out with the partnership?
• How quickly did those differences show up, or did they creep in over time?
• How did you try to address those differences?
• What advice do you have for others considering partnerships?
• When you say the company had grown, how many employees did you have, or what was the scale of growth?
• Can you tell us about the moment when you realized the partnership wasn’t working?
• Can you talk about some of the common mistakes small business owners make?
• What advice would you give about building a resilient organization after setbacks or mistakes?
• How do you handle disagreements in your company, especially with different generations in the workplace?
• What are the key traits that lead to success in your company?
• How do you foster a culture where people feel comfortable admitting mistakes?
• What are your thoughts on creating a learning organization?
• What traits or behaviors do you look for in people who are successful at CK and Company?
• Where can people find more information about you and your book?

Strategic Leadership Expert

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My guest for Episode #181 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Pamela Kellert. She helps female professionals in STEM sectors transition to senior management roles by learning strategic non-technical skills.

Pamela is a seasoned Strategic Leadership Expert with over 16 year’s experience working in Strategy, Business Development and Project Delivery, heading diverse teams at leading organisations across Australia, Asia, Europe and North America.

She has managed complex engineering projects and profit & loss responsibility of over $100 million with a team of over 100 employees. Throughout her career, Pamela has coached professionals in their leadership journey and created a systemised online coaching program to help women accelerate their careers to senior leadership roles. Learn more via her website.

In this episode, Pamela tells her favorite mistake story about how she thought she needed to have all of the answers when she was promoted into her first management position. If she was promoted for being good at problem solving, shouldn't she be solving all of the problems as manager? How did Pamela realize this was a mistake and how does she help other women learn from her mistakes?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• As manager, how should one integrate the ideas and solutions of others?
• When to delegate and when to intervene?
• Being promoted to senior leadership roles – what are the different challenges there?
• Moving into a new function? Challenges there?
• Do some executives never learn the lesson you did?
• Challenges / mistakes with STEM women who want to step up into leadership positions and then into senior management… ‘
• Is it important to have a female mentor? Also a male mentor?
• Getting along by changing behavior vs. trying to change the broader system? How others should react vs. how they do?
• Apologizing before saying something… diminishing language? — societal expectations?
• Making yourself smaller physically? Women vs. men…
• Different advice for women working in very male dominated environments?
• Finnish prime minister backlash — compare to Aussie prime minister or Boris Johnson
• Being aware of biases
• Systemic sexism vs. System racism

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Host of the Business of Tech podcast, and owner of MSP Radio

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My guest for Episode #180 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Dave Sobel. He’s the host of the Business of Tech podcast, and owner of MSP Radio. Dave is regarded as a leading expert in the delivery of technology services, with broad experience in both technology and business. He owned and operated an IT Solution Provider and MSP for over a decade, both acquiring other organizations and eventually being acquired.

“The Business of Tech” is a leading IT services focused news and analysis podcast and YouTube show, with thousands of listeners and subscribers. He also co-hosts of the podcast “Killing IT”, and authored the book Virtualization: Defined.

Dave holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the College of William and Mary. He lives just outside Washington DC with his wife and two cats. His interests include travel and food, cheering the Washington Nationals and Capitals, and smoking barbeque… He was introduced to me by Jason Levin, my guest in Episode 161.

In this episode, Dave tells his favorite mistake story about “screwing up an acquisition really bad.” Why did he not really understand the full situation of the company? Was it too late to make adjustments to the business after buying it? How did he apply the painful lessons learned when he sold his company in 2011

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Why did he start a company?
• What he learned about being laid off from startups as a tech person
• Spent more time on the “paper” and not enough on the “people”
• Was it too late to make adjustments?
• Did you acquire other companies?
• Sold his business in 2011
• Applied the lessons learned… was a complete open book instead of withholding information like his seller had
• Mistakes that small businesses make in choosing technology?
• Examples of companies choosing software or tech because it’s trendy?
• How often is the mistake about HOW they implement it?
• The *delivery* of the tech is super important

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Cofounder and owner of The Billions Institute, LLC

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My guest for Episode #179 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Becky Margiotta. She is the author of the book, Impact with Integrity: Repairing the World Without Breaking Yourself, a cofounder and owner of The Billions Institute, LLC, and the host of the Unleashing Social Change Podcast.

In this episode, Becky tells her favorite mistake story about thinking she would get an “A” for effort when working toward a bold goal of getting 100,000 homeless people into homes. Why did she “lose track of the outcomes” and how did she adjust and get back on track?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• What was the approach for reducing homelessness?
• Looking at measures more continuously along the way
• 100,00 lives campaign connection through IHI
• “Here’s what you’re doing wrong…” actually better ways to say it?
• Story about how people don’t want the answer…
• Leadership lessons from the Army and Special Operations that are transferrable?
• Outcomes focus? Commander’s intent? (McChrystal book)
• “Mission first, troops always”
• “First woman to command special operations…”
• Tell us about the Unleashing Social Change podcast

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CEO of Evernote Episode page with video, transcript, and more  My guest for Episode #178 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Ian Small, CEO at Evernote, the app that launched a personal productivity movement for knowledge workers around the world. Under Ian’s leadership (since 2018), Evernote found the courage to go back to basics, launching a new era of innovation for the company and building upon a decade of growth. Ian brings more than 25 years of global product, technology, and business leadership experience to his current role. Trained as an engineer, Ian's career has evolved from designing and building user experiences at Apple into product leadership and large-scale business management as CEO of TokBox and global Chief Data Officer for Telefónica SA. In addition to his current role at Evernote, Ian sits on the board of directors for Lumentum and is an advisory board member for Alphabet subsidiary Loon (a graduate of Google’s X Lab). He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science, a BASc in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto, and has earned more than 10 patents. In this episode, Ian tells his favorite mistake story about being told, early in his career, that he needed to be a better listener. What were the consequences as he became a manager? How did he realize that he needed to change and how did he work to overcome that bad habit to the point that he can now coach younger leaders to avoid or get out of this same trap? And how did Ian learn to listen better to customers and employees alike? We also talk about questions and topics including: Your favorite patent? Having to change habits… how? “Listen with a beginner’s mind “ Marc Benioff – Salesforce The episode with Emily Learing Overhauling Evernote over 2 years — rebuilt from scratch? Better listening to customers, employees, and the board/investors Everybody internally (and customers) could tell you what the problem — why wasn’t it being addressed? Was Evernote not listening or not taking action? The mistake of inaction vs. action? What do you think of the SV mantra “fail fast, fail often”? How to avoid needing another reboot in 2030? Mistakes in how users use Evernote or is that not possible? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/favorite-mistake/support

Mental Health Professional, Children's Book Author, and more

My guest for Episode #177 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Emily Learing, LMFT, RPT-S. She is a mental health professional based in South Dakota, at her practice called Encompass Mental Health.

Episode page with links, video, transcript, and more

Emily has an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy and a BS in Human Development and Family Studies. She’s a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Registered Play Therapist. She has a blog called Disciplined Children.

Emily is the author of a fantastic children’s book: Henry Knows Best!: A Story About Learning From Mistakes and Listening to Others. I read it and found important lessons and reminders for me as an adult.

In this episode, Emily tells her favorite mistake story about setting up a child care center that was intended to attend to mental health needs — but the phone rang off the hook with people wanting and needing typical day care services. Why did she close the door to that program and how did that open the door to other possibilities? How did Emily manage to keep this in the realm of a small mistake that wasn't catastrophically expensive?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Tell us what inspired you to write the book? Again, the title is Henry Knows Best!: A Story About Learning From Mistakes and Listening to Others
• Oppositional Defiance Disorder vs just liking to say no?
• How many kids are like Henry?
• The consequences of always knowing best – damaged relationships?
• Overconfidence vs. narcissism
• “If you think you need help, you probably need help…”
• Some of my previous guests have admitted that they didn’t listen to experts when they should have — that they knew best… Congressman Will Hurd and Jim McCann founder of 1-800-FLOWERS.
• You say “I’m not a perfect person… I make mistakes… I don’t expect perfection… that’s not reality” — how does admitting that help clients, how does it help you work with clients?
• Does it help others open up to you?
• Having to live the values you’re stating about not being perfect…
• Being a play therapist
• On your blog, you write about games that can be used to help kids with ADHD develop their attention spans. Tell us about that…
• Tell us more about the podcast… “The Informed Parent” (coming soon)
• A BONUS favorite mistake from Emily

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Publisher, book coach, and more.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more.

*** I WANT TO WRITE MY BOOK *** (AD)

My guest for Episode #176 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Mike Ulmer. While he specializes in helping business people write their books, he has written 13 books with a total of nearly $1 million in total sales revenue.

His latest book (March 2022) is Show and Tell Writing: A Great Short Business Book About How To Write A Great Short Business Book.

His other recent titles are Drop The Mic Marketing with Jason Hunt (2022), The 50-Year-Old Millennial: The Leadership Gap Exposed By Millennials And How To Close it with Marc Petitpas (2021) and The 40 Ways of The Fox (2021) with Ron Foxcroft.

He worked as the in-house storyteller for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Raptors and TFC as the senior writer at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

He has written for The Toronto Star, National Post, Southam News Bureau as well as news organizations across Canada.

Interesting fact — With 170,000 in sales, his book, M is for Maple is the bestselling alphabet book in Canadian publishing history. His website is https://www.mikeulmer.ca/

In this episode, Mike tells his favorite mistake story about striking a journalist colleague while in flight on a plane. Why did his sense of “grandiosity and recklessness” lead to this moment that changed his life? Why was this a “favorite mistake”? How did this moment make Mike realize that he needed help so he could now lead a better life?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• As a cancer survivor, why is it a mistake to use the phrase “battle with cancer?”
• Why should people write a business book? You say in your book “everyone should” — why is that?
• Even if you’re not a writer?
• Credibility… Mistake to assume you can also speak?
• Mistake to write with the audience in mind?
• “Have to take a contrarian stance”
• Publishing mistakes?
• Predatory people in the publishing system?
• “When I see the term best seller… bullshit”

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My guest for Episode #175 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Janet L. Polach, Ph.D. She is a global leadership development partner and coach. She has developed leaders in the U.S. and around the world.

As a retired lieutenant colonel having spent 20 years in the Marines, Janet knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a great leader.

After receiving her Ph.D. in organizational development and working with a global consulting firm in China, Janet launched her own consulting practice helping hundreds of companies across the globe including major brands and government contractors.

Her no-nonsense but lighthearted approach is what separates her from the boys and creates transformational results for even the most struggling leaders. She’s also the author of the book The Seven Mistakes New Managers Make.

Her website is: www.inthelead.co.

In this episode, Janet tells her favorite mistake story about losing her patience and losing her temper in front of others. She was working in the private sector and realized that a business partner hadn't held of their end of the bargain. But Janet agrees we need to “live and learn,” so she shared what she learned and how she adjusted from this encounter.

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Praise publicly, criticize privately?
• What was the culture in the Marines regarding criticism
• Look for red flags during the interviewing process…
• I think of Marines as being very serious, with a serious mission… why do you think it’s important to have a “lighthearted” approach?
• Why write a book about leadership mistakes? Is that more helpful than saying what TO do?
• “We don’t train brand new leaders”
• How to do an effective 1×1??
• Mistakes that ORGANIZATIONS make — promoting the best individual contributor to a management role?
• Telling managers to basically just figure out how to manage?
• $166 billion is spent every year on leadership training but companies are still struggling due to a lack of leadership — WHY?
• How does the Marine Corps teach leadership? Classroom, behaviors modeled by senior leaders? Coaching?
• Mistakes in change management… what mistakes to leaders make and what should they do to full engage if not excite people about change?
• There are many mistakes we might make in giving feedback to somebody… what comes to mind and what do you recommend?
• Congrats again on the publication of your book… I understand there was/were Book(s) you attempted to write but didn’t finish?

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My guest for Episode #174 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Jonathon Andell. He has been a quality professional since 1987, was one of the world’s first certified Six Sigma Black Belts in 1992, and has been a consultant since 1998, and a Fellow of the American Society for Quality since 2008.

Among Jonathon’s global clients are leading firms in such diverse industries as: aerospace, automotive, construction, design, electronics, food, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, service, software, and telecommunications. He has published and presented extensively.

Jonathon has a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue and MS in Metallurgy from Penn State. He is an avid amateur musician and a passionate community service volunteer.

In this episode, Jonathon tells his favorite mistake story about “gloating a bit” when his younger self (a “hot shot”) solved a difficult quality problem at work. Why did that damage some relationships and how did he get helpful feedback about that?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Solving problems – sometimes people don’t want to admit problems
• Data driven… people and emotions and empathy, not just data
• Six Sigma mistakes?? Expert driven – “elitist”
• 30 Rock mocking Six Sigma?
• Mistake to “rank and yank” ala Jack Welch?
• “Huge opponent of rank and yank” — at Amazon?
• Brian Joiner “Fourth Generation Management” book
• Creating a culture where it’s safe to talk about mistakes — what’s necessary for this?
• Training people but then not letting them use Six Sigma afterward
• Working on a book with John Thacker

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Author of "Mass Influence"

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My guest for Episode #173 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Teresa de Grosbois. She is the Founder of the Evolutionary Business Council, an International Speaker and the #1 International Bestselling author of Mass Influence: The Habits of the Highly Influential, which is now a best seller in seven countries.

You can download a complimentary digital version of the book here.

A 4X International Bestselling Author, Teresa teaches marketing courses around the globe to business leaders and entrepreneurs on how to create massively successful word of mouth campaigns.

As the Chair of the Evolutionary Business Council, Teresa leads an International, Invitation-Only Council of Speakers and Influencers dedicated to teaching the principles of success.

In this episode, Teresa tells her favorite mistake story about creating a non-profit organization in Sudan that failed. Why did she “quickly realize this wasn't right”? What did she learn from this and how did that experience in Africa lead to the unexpected opening of doors to better opportunities?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• How did you create 3 best sellers in 8 months?
• What if you’re reaching out to influencers and not getting a response?
• From the book the book – habits and mistakes people make in trying to influence others
• Do aspiring influencers mistake self promotion and bragging?
• Should spend more time on building relationships with other influencers?
• Never talk about yourself vs. always talking about yourself?
• “Influencer” (like social media) vs true influence?
• A mistake to think you’re trying to reach “everyone”? Or is “all business leaders at all levels” even too broad to be effective?
• What’s the difference between “practicing at business” vs. being “aligned with your passion”?
• How common is the mistake of “focusing on how you make money” instead of “the service that you want to bring to others”?
• Big mistake — not choosing who you want to play with based on fully respecting that person?
• Tell me about the Evolutionary Business Council…

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Founder / Chairman of 1-800-FLOWERS

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My guest for Episode #172 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Jim McCann, the founder and chairman of 1-800-FLOWERS, one of the first companies to pioneer and popularize the use of both toll-free telephone numbers and Web sites to sell goods and services directly to consumers.

Jim is a highly successful entrepreneur, public speaker and published author with titles including Talk is (Not!) Cheap: The Art of Conversation Leadership) — his passion is helping people deliver smiles. Jim’s belief in the universal need for social connections and interaction led to his founding of 1-800-FLOWERS, which he has grown into the world’s leading Florist and Gift Shop and Celebrations.com, a leading website for expert party planning content and advice.

In this episode, Jim shares his “favorite mistake” story that involves what was otherwise a very good decision — acquiring the 1-800-FLOWERS telephone number. But what was the mistake involved in buying the company that had the number assigned to it? Why couldn't he just buy the number? What mistake led to Jim taking on millions of dollars of debt from that company? How did Jim learn and apply the lesson that “being cheap” and not relying on experts can cause a lot of problems?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Learning to not repeat that mistake around due diligence?
• Finding the balance between saying mistakes are OK without just wildly trying things
• What the FedEx founder, Fred Smith, said to Jim that turned out to be very incorrect about shipping flowers
• Is it a mistake to spend too much time reflecting on mistakes?
• Lessons from 10-step programs, remove the shame or embarrassment from mistakes
• You were approached to be one of the first companies or bosses featured “Undercover Boss” — Turned it down 3 times — was that a mistake?
• Learning about the business? Advice for other leaders about doing this without going undercover?
• “A lot of it comes down to culture and leadership”

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My guest for Episode #278 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Joe Davis, Managing Director and Senior Partner at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and author of The Generous Leader: 7 Ways to Give of Yourself for Everyone's Gain.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

He’s had 40+ years of experience managing and leading teams. Joe has also served as chair of BCG’s Center for Inclusion and Equity and is a founding steering committee member of CEO Action for Racial Equity and the Southern Communities Initiative.

In this episode, Joe shares his "favorite mistake" from early in his career at Procter & Gamble, where he learned the importance of giving timely feedback to his team. The conversation explores leadership generosity, vulnerability, and the value of creating trust within teams.

Joe also discusses his work with BCG’s Center for Inclusion and Equity and addresses how leaders can navigate challenges in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Throughout, he offers insights on leadership growth, balancing results with empathy, and leading with authenticity.

Questions and Topics:

• What is your favorite mistake?
• Should anyone be surprised by what they hear in an annual review?
• How do you handle dynamics of giving feedback to people older than you?
• How do you define generosity in leadership?
• Is leadership generosity the opposite of a transactional, quid pro quo approach?
• What’s your perspective on using terms like "problem" vs. "opportunity" when giving feedback?
• How do you define vulnerability as a leader, and do you think vulnerability is often mistaken for weakness?
• How can early-career consultants effectively advise older executives?
• What’s the role of the BCG Center for Inclusion and Equity, and why that specific terminology?
• How do you navigate pushback against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within organizations?
• How do you address employees or leaders who criticize DEI efforts as promoting 'equal outcomes' over 'equal opportunities'?
• Is it possible to convince long-tenured leaders to move away from top-down, command-and-control leadership styles?
• How do you strike a balance between being vulnerable and still delivering results as a leader?

Author of Executive Loneliness

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My guest for Episode #171 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Nick Jonsson, joining us from Singapore.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains a brief mention of a death by suicide. If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. If you're having suicidal thoughts, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to talk to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area at any time (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline).

Nick is the co-founder and Managing Director of one of Asia's premier networking organizations, Executives' Global Network (EGN) Singapore — a caring peer group community providing hundreds of executives a safe haven to share their challenges, receive support, and learn from each other.

His passion for mental health awareness through his very lived life experiences paved the way for Nick to author his first #1 international bestselling book, published in April 2021— Executive Loneliness: The 5 Pathways to Overcoming Isolation, Stress, Anxiety and Depression in the Modern Business World.

In adjunct to his book, Nick has also created a more easily accessible and less formal online community, where executives and business leaders can connect, learn about and reduce the risk of burnout and isolation, with www.Leaders-Anonymous.com.

In this episode, Nick shares his “favorite mistake” story about keeping emotions in — hiding behind a facade of success and waiting too long to ask for help. Why did he struggle with alcoholism and depression, even as he became more successful in his career? What finally prompted him to look for help? What did he learn from these experiences and how has it inspired him to help others?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• “It’s lonely at the top” — How is executive loneliness different to everyday loneliness that any of us may experience?
• Loneliness in that feeling of loneliness? Executives' Global Network (EGN) Singapore — “Confidential peer networks” — available in the US and other places
• Difficult for execs to ask for help before hitting rock bottom?
• “Smiling depression”
• “Insecure overachievers” — inner insecurity
• His LinkedIn post that went viral
• Impact of Covid times? 2019 - 30% 2020 - “had doubled to 59% saying there was executive loneliness”
• Difference - introverts vs. extroverts?
• Introverts — more comfortable in isolation doesn’t mean it’s good for us
• Are there any cultural challenges when it comes to talking about executive loneliness? Are some countries where E.L. is a bigger problem, or countries where it’s not addressed?
• If I was an Executive experiencing loneliness, or I was a friend or family member of someone who I suspect might be experiencing executive loneliness, what’s an easy ‘next step’ for me to take?
• How might we bring this up if somebody seems like they need help?
• How might we recognize signs of E.L. in ourselves or others?
• Tell us about the networks — EGN and Leaders-Anonymous are different

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My guest for Episode #169 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Erin Joy.

As the founder and executive consultant behind Erin Joy Business Coaching & Consulting, Erin uses over 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship, roundtable facilitation, business strategy, and executive coaching to help fellow female business owners launch, propel, and grow their companies.

Erin has hosted over 300 roundtables, 200 group coaching calls, 70 live events, and 1000 online events, and the company continues to serve over 60 clients.

Erin is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Business Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology to enhance her ability to connect with and support women in business on both a professional and emotional level.

She is also the host of a new radio show and PODCAST: “Erin Joy Talks Business.” She has released an anthology of advice from women business owners titled The Anatomy of Accomplishment: Your Guide to Bigger, Better, Bolder Business Results.

In this episode, Erin shares her “favorite mistake” story about a “huge mistake” that she avoided by making a pivot before it was too late. She was looking to franchise the roundtable side of her business — how did she discover this would have been a “heavy lift” (and an expensive one at that)? How did she pivot and what happened?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• What does it mean to be a “business psychologist?”
• Business is about making predictions… and testing… you have 25-year plan? How specific are the details of that plan? Is there wiggle room?
• What can we do to be more resilient and better adjust to what life and business throws at us?
• “Breakdowns lead to breakthroughs”
• Video you posted in 2021 — “A time to give up control” — when is that necessary for a business leader and how can they do that?
• You work mainly with women leaders and entrepreneurs — are there mistakes you help them avoid in career transitions? Or setting them up to learn from them?
• What do we need to be doing to build the next generation of women as leaders?
• Tell us about the podcast — what topics do you cover? What sort of guests do you have?

Find Erin on social media:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

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My guest for Episode #169 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Arnold (Arnie) Barnett. He is the George Eastman Professor of Management Science and a Professor of Statistics at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Barnett holds a BA in mathematics from Columbia College and a PhD in mathematics from MIT. His research specialty is applied mathematical modeling with a focus on problems of health and safety.

Cited as “the nation’s leading expert on aviation safety,” Barnett was recognized with the 2002 President’s Citation from the Flight Safety Foundation for “truly outstanding contributions on behalf of safety.” MIT Sloan students have honored him on 14 occasions for outstanding teaching.

In this episode, Arnie shares his “favorite mistake” story about blurting out something to a New York Times reporter who called to get his comment about a US Airways crash that had occurred earlier in the day. Even though he regrets saying what he did, it gave him a reputation for being “willing to talk straight” which led a torrent of requests to speak and to be interviewed in venues ranging from radio programs to NBC's Today Show.

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• 1994 US Air had a number of crashes – a “temporary spasm of bad luck”?
• The NY Times article he was quoted in — the “mistake”
• The word “amazing”: “causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing”
• Lesson about talking with the press?
• Are we bad at estimating probabilities in general?
• Bad at estimating the risk of driving vs. flying?
• You wrote an opinion piece in late March 2022 titled “Don’t end the mask mandate for US airlines”
• “ending the requirement now would be a serious mistake.” —> why did you say that then and do you still say that now?
• I saw you give a talk about this — is the Electoral College a mistake? Is it a mistake that can be fixed?
• A simple fix for gerrymandering?
• “MIT now has a reputation of being very much woke”
• Tell us about the Leaders for Global Operations program… you are a popular internship and thesis advisor. Why do you like working with LGO students?

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Author of the book Chocolate Drop in Corporate America: From The Pit To The Palace.

Episode page: https://markgraban.com/mistake168

My guest for Episode #168 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Genesis Amaris Kemp. She is a Creative Content Writer, Author, Self-Development Advocate, Visionary, Inclusion and Diversity enthusiast, and (I love this) a “Firecracker, and a force to be reckoned with.”

She is a woman of color, a trailblazer who wants others to live out their dreams, goals, and visions.

She’s the author of the book Chocolate Drop in Corporate America: From The Pit To The Palace.

Genesis has been featured on four dozen-plus podcasts, and magazines, and then decided to finally start her own podcast, GEMS with Genesis Amaris Kemp.

In this episode, Genesis shares her “favorite mistake” stories about being too bold. Why did her now-husband break up with her four times? Why was she told to stop being so bold at work? Was there a double standard for a woman of color? What did she learn and how did she adapt, while remaining true to herself?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man — relationships book, Steve Harvey
• Working in oil and gas – male dominated
• Double standard for women? More so as a woman of color?
• You write about choosing a major (and changing majors) — tell us about that thought process.
• In your book, you talk about having 3 job opportunities… it sounds like you chose what was the best for the long term (not just the highest pay in the now). What led to that decision?
• What led to you writing your book?
• Mistakes related to DEI — that organizations make or that individuals make?
• Tell us about your Podcast:
• Dad - victim of a medication error while a patient… paralyzed
• Prompted her to talk about the grief journey… into a microphone

Find Genesis on social media:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Instagram

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Marketer and author of "The Rule of 26"

Episode page: https://markgraban.com/mistake167

My guest for Episode #167 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Michael “Buzz” Buzinski, the President/CMO of Buzzworthy Integrated Marketing.

Buzz is a lifelong entrepreneur, digital marketing thought leader, and best-selling author of his book The Rule of 26 For Service-Centric Businesses: Three Steps To Doubling Website Revenue. Check out his book's website.

Dubbed a “visionary marketer” by the American Marketing Association, Michael’s sole mission is to reduce the prevalence of entrepreneurial poverty in the US. Michael is a 10 year Air Force Veteran who now mentors other vetrepreneurs through “Warriors Rising”, leads marketing workshops for the Small Business Administration, the Small Business Development Center in multiple states, and has presented marketing workshops for multiple Universities.

In this episode, Buzz shares his “favorite mistake” story about “the little coup” that took place at his previous company when he went on a trip to Italy to serve as a videographer instead because he had nobody else to send. While he was away, the electicity went out at the home office because somebody didn't pay the bill. Young employees “thought the company was going out of business” and that led to a lot of chaos… and his eventual decision to break up the company. Why was the the “best worst thing” that happened to Buzz and how did he move forward in a better way?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Why do you say you’re a failed musician? What happened?
• Starving artist or musician… What does this phrase mean?
• What is the rule of 26?
• Digital marketing mistakes??
• Newest mistake that you’ve found?
• Tell us about Warriors Rising
• The only three key performance indicators (KPIs) you need to track when marketing your website?
• How to get a free copy of his book:Get a copy of his book, The Rule of 26 on Amazon in eBook or paperback. He will send a free signed paperback copy to any listener who purchases his eBook from Amazon if they email him at buzz@buzzworthy.biz with a screenshot of their purchase and the address they want the book sent to.

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Episode page: https://markgraban.com/mistake166

My guest for Episode #166 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Alisha Wielfaert, a leadership, creativity, transitions and resiliency coach for women.

She started her career at an over one-hundred-year-old insurance company. She moved on from that. Along the way, she started studying yoga at the Asheville Yoga Center not just as a physical practice but as a spiritual path. She opened a yoga studio… and then sold it…

Alisha is also the author of a book that’s just been released, titled Little Failures: Learning to Build Resilience Through Everyday Setbacks, Challenges, and Obstacles.

Enter to win a signed copy!!

She is the host of a podcast, The Yoke and Abundance: Wise Women Podcast and her company is called Yoke and Abundance.

In this episode, Alisha shares her “favorite mistake” story about opening a yoga studio that “did nothing but lose money” as it went into bankruptcy. Why was this her “greatest learning experience” but also the “most shameful” that has happened to her? Why did the business fail and what lessons did Alisha learn that she has (and will) apply to other businesses?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Passion plus seeking for purpose in life
• Bootstrapping was a problem – couldn’t fully commit
• Lessons for when you became a coach?
• Do the failures help you be a better coach?
• The Dropout? Elizabeth Holmes
• Other thoughts or tips on how to analyze or process our failures?
• People who are successful after failures do what things?
• How to not get stuck in the grieving and processing time?
• Fear of mistakes — Atelophobia is an obsessive fear of imperfection
• Do you see a difference between “mistakes” and “failures”? Let’s explore that…
• “Planning for failures” in the writing and release of the book?
• You write about the idea of “Failing out loud” — the implications for women and minorities?
• TEDx talk – founder of Girls Who Code (Reshma Saujani)
• Tell us the story behind the name of your company, Yoke and Abundance?

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Author of The Career Toolkit.

Episode page: https://markgraban.com/mistake165

My guest for Episode #165 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Mark Herschberg, the author of the book The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You. Learn more at his book's website. This is Mark's 300th appearance as a podcast guest!

From tracking criminals and terrorists on the dark web to creating marketplaces and new authentication systems, Mark has spent his career launching and developing new ventures at startups and Fortune 500s and in academia.

He helped to start the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, dubbed MIT’s “career success accelerator,” where he teaches annually.

At MIT, he received a B.S. in physics, a B.S. in electrical engineering & computer science, and an M.Eng. in electrical engineering & computer science, focusing on cryptography.

At Harvard Business School, Mark helped create a platform used to teach finance at prominent business schools.

He also works with many non-profits, including Techie Youth and Plant A Million Corals. He was one of the top-ranked ballroom dancers in the country and now lives in New York City, where he is known for his social gatherings, including his annual Halloween party, as well as his diverse cufflink collection.

In this episode, Mark shares his “favorite mistake” story about being promised something by board members that was not put in writing. What happened when a new CEO came in? Why was he fired from the product and engineering teams? What adjustments did he make to his approach with later companies?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Was not spending on tech another short-sighted decision?
• Book — lots of examples of mistakes in the book and the class he teaches
• Tell us about the book?? The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You. — not just about new graduates?
• Networking mistakes – he met Tim Berners-Lee and blew the opportunity to build a relationship
• What are some of those essential networking skills?
• Is it a mistake to sign confidentiality or non-compete clauses?
• Negotiating mistakes? Don’t name a number first?
• Ethical situations?
• Your top 3 Halloween costumes?

Find Mark on social media:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

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Author of The Orgasmic Entrepreneur and more

Episode page and links: https://markgraban.com/mistake164

My guest for Episode #164 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Melissa Drake. As the founder of Uncorped Influence, Melissa helps like-minded businesses and individuals find creative solutions and go further than they thought possible.

Melissa is the author of three books:

• The Orgasmic Entrepreneur: Discover the Sweet Spot of Love, Sex, and Business by Simply Being YOU,
• Sacred Medicine Integration: A Companion Journal Supporting Ceremonial Medicine Experiences
• TranscenDANCE: Lessons From Living, Loving, and Dancing

She's also a TEDx Speaker with 25 years climbing the corporate ranks and a decade of entrepreneurial experience. Her TEDx Talk, “The Dance of Collaboration,” presents fresh insights on the benefits of collectively beneficial collaborations.

In this episode, Melissa shares her “favorite mistake” story about the pattern of “not taking care of who I am as a person, not pursuing the things that bring me joy.” How did she come to see this pattern? Are mistakes like this just “part of the process” or are they to be avoided? How does she make sure she doesn't fall back into that trap?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Were you sort of going through life in autopilot?
• Finding the fix — looking within or to others?
• How to make sure you don’t fall back into that trap? As easy as avoiding a corporate job?
• When things aren’t going well — double down? – Or rest, take time?
• Did you have any fear that your book title would be a mistake?
• Is it a book for women? No
• New path started in 2015, laid off from insurance industry, “kick in the pants” she needed
• Why was “the ability to truly be me” so important to you?
• Freedom of expression is one of your most significant values
• Correlation or causation? — finding “the link between achieving sexual satisfaction and attaining strong business results.”

Find Melissa on social media:

• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

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Episode page and links: https://markgraban.com/mistake163

My guest for Episode #163 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Jeff Zigman, known as “The Business Engineer,” and the founder and CEO of SkillBuilder.

He’s been a tech entrepreneur 10 years, having led and built 25+ software projects from idea to Live, including multimillion-dollar enterprise software, with an engineering background, ten years as a Business Analyst, and eight years as a Chief Technology Officer.

He’s married with two little kids and, during COVID, he created a software platform that incorporates the learning principles that he’s gained from 20 years of martial arts into a remote learning system that he’s been able to prove to be more effective for virtual training than most in-person training, with higher absorption and better retention.

In this episode, Jeff shares his “favorite mistake” story about trusting somebody he was working to build a software company with — working for 1.5 years on a trust basis, how did Jeff end up saddled with a “lopsided contract”? What problems did that cause and why was it “a real nightmare”? We talk about that and the lessons that Jeff learned through this experience.

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Were there red flags?
• Should he have gotten a lawyer to review it?
• How has he focused on not preventing this mistake?
• Why is training thousands of employees so difficult?
• Lessons from martial arts?
• 4 things that are required?
• What is Process-Oriented Learning?
• Knowledge (information or theory) vs. Skills (ability)?
• How do we confirm that the learning has sunk in… that the skills can be applied effectively? Closing the loop?
• How can training be gamified?

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Episode page: https://markgraban.com/mistake162

My guests for Episode #162 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast are Dr. Joseph A. Allen and Karin M. Reed.

They are the authors of the book SUDDENLY HYBRID: Managing the Modern Meeting. Their previous book was SUDDENLY VIRTUAL: Making Remote Meetings Work.

KARIN M. REED is CEO of Speaker Dynamics. She is an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist and now focuses on helping business professionals to be confident communicators on any platform? in person, on camera, or through virtual communication tools.

JOSEPH A. ALLEN, PHD, is a Professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Utah. His research focus is on the study of workplace meetings, organizational community engagement, and occupational safety and health.

Sharing their “favorite mistake” stories, Karin talks about a time early in her television news career, where a technical mishap taught her to always have a “Plan B.” Why was Joe surprised that he wasn't getting honest feedback about his writing, and what did that teach him about not taking expertise for granted?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Mistakes with virtual meetings?
• Is it a mistake to keep your camera off?
• What is a hybrid meeting or the hybrid workplace?
• Mistakes that people or organizations make with hybrid?
• Tips and tricks to be inclusive to all participants in the room, on video, on the phone etc.?
• Technology to solve the room webcam camera problem?
• When the video is imperative in a virtual or hybrid meeting and when it’s not?
• Non-verbals in a hybrid meeting?
• Strategies to combat video fatigue and multitasking?

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My guest for Episode #277 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Derek Leiner, MD, FACP.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

Dr. Leiner trained in internal medicine at VCUHealth and the Richmond VA Medical Center. In 2018, he completed a year as Chief Resident for Quality and Safety, a national VA QI and safety training program then began as a staff physician at the Richmond VA Medical Center.  

His career has included teaching, education leadership as an Associate Program Director for a medicine training program, and safety culture leadership.  Derek currently works as an academic hospitalist and is the physician champion for high reliability at the Richmond VA Medical Center.  He has a passion for humanism, collaborative care, and just culture.

In this episode, we discuss a medical error involving a lumbar puncture procedure and the subsequent emotional impact on the healthcare professional involved. We explore the distinction between near misses and patient harm, highlighting the importance of learning from both. The concept of Just Culture is introduced, emphasizing a fair and supportive approach to addressing errors. We delve into High Reliability Organizations and their focus on creating a culture of safety. The significance of open communication with patients and the potential for positive outcomes is also addressed.

Additionally, we examine the "second victim" phenomenon, where healthcare professionals experience emotional distress following errors. The episode concludes with practical strategies for recovering from mistakes and fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement in healthcare.

Questions and Topics:

• What is your favorite mistake?
• Is this a near miss or patient harm?
• Did I understand your definition of a near miss correctly?
• What was the reaction and response to the incident?
• Can you explain the concept of high reliability organizations and its relevance to healthcare?
• What was the patient's reaction to the disclosure?
• What is your reaction to Doctor Mayer's story?
• What are your thoughts on Just Culture?
• How do you coach others to recover from mistakes and combat negative self-talk?

Key topics discussed:

• Lumbar puncture incident & its emotional impact
• Near miss vs. patient harm
• Just Culture & its implementation
• High reliability organizations (HROs)
• Patient disclosure and reactions
• Second victim phenomenon & support
• Recovering from mistakes & learning
• Systemic factors, human error & normalization of deviance
• Importance of continuous learning & improvement

Author of Relationships to Infinity

Episode page: https://www.markgraban.com/mistake161

My guest for Episode #161 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Jason Levin. He's a speaker and trainer. He's an executive career, business development and outplacement coach. He's the co-host of the Parents at Work Podcast. His website is www.readysetlaunch.net.

He’s also the author of the book, Relationships to Infinity: The Art and Science of Keeping in Touch. Scroll down to learn how to enter to win one of five free signed copies of the book!

In serving his enterprise and individual clients, Jason draws on experiences as a District Manager with Vault.com.

At Vault, he held roles both on the operations team and led a remote business development team.

Prior to Vault.com, he worked in brand management for Unilever on the Dove Global team where he developed global innovations in the anti-aging skincare category and he also worked for the consulting firms KPMG and Accenture. He has an MBA from the Georgetown McDonough School of Business.

He’s an assistant coach on his son’s little league baseball team and is a “raving fan” of DC sports.

In today's episode, Jason shares his “favorite mistake” story about failing to follow up with the wealthy benefactor of Rowan College. Why did he get yelled at by the head fundraiser at the college — and for how long? How have those lessons from that episode impact him as a coach?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• What attracted you to working with retired pro athletes in their career transitions? How is it different?
• Previous episodes with retired athletes Lenny Walls and Dave Scatchard
• With limited (non-infinite) time – how do we make time to focus on relationships?
• “Show me your calendar and I’ll show you your priorities”
• What is your “social fortress”?
• Your external network vs. your network inside the company

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Founder of Shattered Pencil Studios

Episode page and links: https://markgraban.com/mistake160

My guest for Episode #160 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Rosie Kosinski. She is what she calls the Brand Queen and Founder of Shattered Pencil Studios, a brand design & development boutique. She straddles the line between creative and strategic, artistic and scientific.

Raised by entrepreneurs and artists in a nomadic environment that took her through Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, Rosie is a global citizen through and through. She taps into this mosaic of perspectives to deeply understand the people she serves and to help them connect with the people they serve.

In today's episode, Rosie shares her “favorite mistake” story about “waiting too long to get a coach.” How did she go from being skeptical about the idea to working with a coach for years?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Learning to value her work — the Sandler Selling System
• Why she learned to quote a price and “shut the hell up”
• More about what you learned about being a branding design coach?
• Do people confuse a logo with a brand?
• Mistakes that people make when it comes to branding?? Other than being cheap? Micromanaging the process?
• Blog post about Brand Clarity in Seven Questions
• 5 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Became A Founder

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Episode page and links: https://markgraban.com/mistake159

My guest for Episode #159 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Glenn Poulos, the cofounder, vice president, and general manager of Gap Wireless Inc., a leading distributor for the mobile broadband wireless and test and measurement equipment markets. Gap Wireless Inc. was recently acquired by Network Wireless Solutions.

With over three decades of experience in sales, Glenn has spent thousands of hours in the field or on the phone with customers and working with salespeople to help create several very successful companies.

After entering the sales field in 1985 as a technical sales rep, Glenn founded his first company, mmWave Technologies Inc., in 1991 and simultaneously served as president of Anritsu Electronics Ltd. for nine years.

Using his extensive knowledge and experience in the industry, he lectures groups on sales strategy, consumerism, and what motivates people at a raw emotional level.

His new book is titled NEVER SIT IN THE LOBBY… 57 Winning Sales Factors to Grow a Business and Build a Career Selling.

In today's episode, Glenn shares his “favorite mistake” story about being the last to know that it was difficult (if not impossible) for employees to reach. Why did that unsolicited feedback “sting” and what did Glenn do to adjust going forward?

We also talk about questions and topics including:

• Learned to ask people for feedback??
• Mistakes in the selling of the first company?
• Never forget a face
• What is “greed-based learning” when it comes to sales?
• When to Stop Compromising with Your Customer – and What to Do Instead?? – can you give us an example?

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