How to Embrace Mistakes in Engineering

You can’t have a high-velocity, high-impact career without screwing up. I had multiple public screwups on my way to Amazon VP. The good news is that mistakes can help your career if you handle them right. Here is a formula: 1) Own it. 2) Fix it. 3) Communicate it. 4) Learn from it. 5) Move on. That really is it, but of course, each of those pieces has steps of its own. To own your mistake, you must be specific and direct. Tell your leadership what went wrong and why to the best of your knowledge. Tell them that it is on you to fix and how you will go about doing that. If you don’t know any of these details, tell them you don’t know and when they can expect an update. To fix the problem, consider what options you have based on new information. If time allows, pressure test these options by running them past one expert and one skeptic. Ask three questions: “What am I missing?” “What breaks first?” “What would have to be true for this to work?” Then, assign clear owners, clear expectations, and call in reinforcements. Get experts from other teams to help you—don’t be proud. Make small adjustments where possible, but don’t be afraid to roll it all back. Don’t be tied to old expectations or original ideas. Give your leadership and team a cadence for your updates, and stick to it. Frequent updates will help buy you time and win back trust piece by piece. When the crisis has been stopped and things have been fixed, reflect on what you have learned and share it. Then, move on. Dwelling on what you did wrong does not help your career, your mental health, or the business. Moving forward, setting new goals, and bouncing back helps all three. If you want a more in-depth lesson on how to mentally prepare to lead through crises, how to manage them, and how to recover, read this week’s newsletter: https://buff.ly/uZWsxLV Readers- what mistakes have you made that you were able to thrive through? How did you bounce back?

Memoirs of a Gully Boy Episode 44: Experimenting and Flirting with #Failure In the corporate world, growth often comes dressed as messy, unpredictable experiments. Yet, the fear of failure keeps many from venturing into the unknown. What if failure wasn’t the end of the road but a necessary step toward success? Mastering the art of experimentation, and accepting failure as part of the journey, can redefine your career. Failure is a Lab, Not a Cemetery Scientists don’t expect every experiment to succeed. Instead, even their failures provide valuable data. Corporate life works the same way. Experimentation drives progress, but it demands risk and resilience. In one of my pivotal projects, we implemented an automation system for a major client. Our initial rollout had setbacks—some workflows slowed instead of improving. It felt like a disaster in the making. But we analyzed the gaps, restructured the system, and eventually delivered a solution that became a benchmark. Each failure taught us something vital, pushing us closer to success. Failures don’t bury potential—they reveal opportunities to innovate. Daring to Fall, Learning to Soar Think of a trapeze artist trying a daring new move. Falling is part of the process, but without those falls, they’ll never achieve the perfect landing. Similarly, the willingness to risk failure separates innovators from those who stay in their comfort zones. Early in my career, I hesitated to pitch bold ideas. Fear of failure kept me quiet. But as I grew, I realized that even my “bad ideas” sparked valuable discussions and new directions. I learned that courage to try—and fail—often leads to breakthroughs. The Resilience of Experimentation Failure builds resilience, a quality crucial in today’s fast-evolving world. Here’s how to transform failure into a stepping stone: 1. Analyze Setbacks: Each mistake is a lesson. Break it down to uncover the root cause and learn. 2. Reframe Failure: Replace “I failed” with “I learned.” Mindset matters. 3. Celebrate Effort: Recognize the courage behind trying something new, regardless of the outcome. 4. Iterate Quickly: Adapt and pivot fast—progress favors momentum. Fostering a Culture of Experimentation As a leader, the way you respond to failure sets the tone. Celebrate team efforts, encourage bold ideas, and turn mistakes into learning moments. When people know failure isn’t final, innovation thrives. Velvet Glove Over Iron Fist Failures aren’t dead ends; they’re detours leading to discovery. Experimenting and flirting with failure isn’t reckless—it’s essential. History’s greatest successes were born from persistence through setbacks. So, take that leap, try that bold approach, and don’t fear the fall. Each stumble is a lesson, and every experiment pushes you closer to greatness. Failure isn’t the enemy—it’s the guide. To be continued... DC*

My LinkedIn tells you that I am a successful engineering manager working at Google & living the dream but here’s what it won’t tell you: ► Back in 2008, after completing my masters in the USA at Cornell University, I  was unemployed for 9 months.  ► I was rejected by Microsoft, 5 times (2 times in the same year & 2 different countries)    ► Startups turned me down because I couldn't write a Binary Search Tree.  ► Google rejected me because I couldn't explain how Hadoop works.  ► When I finally landed a job, I was told: "You’re not good enough to be a software engineer."  I broke production code. Multiple times.   As an architect, I built a product that didn’t scale.   As a new manager, two engineers quit my team—because of me.  But my biggest failure?  ► I caused a million-dollar outage at Amazon.   Millions of users were impacted.   Amazon.com went down for five minutes.   And I was the reason.   3 Lessons from my journey to help you become a TOP engineer: ✅ 1. T : Talent is overrated and You will fail. Accept it, but don’t stop.   - Every engineer screws up. The difference is who keeps going and learns from it.   - Your failures won’t define you, what you do after them will.  ✅ 2. O : Own your mistakes as Writing code is easy.    - It’s easy to blame deadlines, bad specs, or teammates.   - Great engineers take responsibility, learn from failure, and improve.   - No one remembers your mistake forever. But they will remember how you handled it.  ✅ 3. P : Problem solving is permanent. Knowledge is temporary.   - You won’t always know the answer. You’ll forget concepts.   - What matters is your ability to learn fast, debug effectively, and think through problems.   - The best engineers aren’t those who know everything, hey’re the ones who figure things out.  Failures aren’t career-ending. They’re career-defining.  So, fail, learn, and keep building. 

Regret your candour with the boss? Made a careless blunder that will cost the company a lot of money? Ignore a minor problem that now puts your credibility at risk? You’re not alone. Everyone I know makes mistakes. Many of them are also leaders, doers, trailblazers and have profit from making mistakes. James Joyce says mistakes are the portals of discovery and the management literature abounds with many articles advocating that mistakes can be a good thing. But there is a caveat - whilst making mistakes is part of working life, learning from them and managing their consequences requires integrity and skills. We all make mistakes and if managed poorly, mistakes will damage our reputation and career. This is especially true when we are at vulnerable points in our career like when we are just at the beginning of our career or starting a new role, or trying to win over a new manager. So how does one respond when one makes a significant mistake? Many wish the mistake would not be noticed, or are gripped by fear that prompts poor decisions. The key is to replace wishful thinking and fear with taking control of the situation. This can be achieved by a four-step approach. 1. Own up. But tread carefully especially if the company has a culture of blame-shifting - it's important to pick your moment and find allies. But whatever you do, own up before your hand is forced. And own up properly - admit the mistake and don't make excuses. 2. Improvement. Shift the focus from blaming people to improving processes by doing an objective assessment to identify root causes and process improvements so the same mistake will not happen again. Also articulate accurately the consequences of the mistake and recommend specific actions to mitigate its impact. 3. Permission. Share how you would implement the mitigation measures and improvements, and get approval to proceed. So from being the person who made the mistake, you become the person who eliminates mistakes. 4. Compassion. Have compassion for yourself. Recognise that A. mistakes likely happen when you strive for growth and push for performance, B. You can learn from this experience and reduce the chances of mistakes, Whilst we can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, we can learn, be better and never make the same mistake. Agree?

Mistakes are an inevitable part of the human experience, both in our personal and professional lives. Despite our best intentions, errors and missteps occur. However, it is not the mistakes themselves that define us, but rather how we choose to respond and learn from them. Mistakes provide us with valuable learning opportunities. They offer insights into areas where we can improve, helping us grow both personally and professionally. When we approach mistakes with a mindset of curiosity and a willingness to learn, we can extract valuable lessons that contribute to our development and success. Learning from mistakes involves acknowledging and taking responsibility for our actions. It requires humility and a willingness to reflect on our choices and behaviors. By examining the root causes of our mistakes, we can identify patterns, uncover gaps in knowledge or skills, and develop strategies to prevent similar errors in the future. Furthermore, learning from mistakes promotes resilience. It allows us to bounce back stronger and more prepared to face future challenges. By understanding the consequences of our mistakes and making necessary adjustments, we build resilience and develop the skills to overcome obstacles and setbacks with greater ease. Moreover, learning from mistakes is not solely an individual endeavor; it also benefits teams and organizations. Creating a culture that encourages open communication and learning from mistakes fosters innovation and growth. When individuals feel safe to share their mistakes, experiences, and insights, it unleashes collective learning, enables the sharing of best practices, and drives continuous improvement. It's important to remember that mistakes should not be dwelled upon or turned into a source of shame. Instead, they should be viewed as stepping stones towards progress and success. By embracing a growth mindset and understanding that mistakes are an integral part of the learning process, we can develop resilience, gain valuable insights, and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement. In conclusion, mistakes are inevitable, but they should never be feared or avoided. Embracing and learning from mistakes is essential for personal and professional growth. When we approach mistakes as opportunities for learning, we transform setbacks into stepping stones, enabling us to become more resilient, knowledgeable, and successful in our endeavors.

Not all failures are equally intelligent. Blindly embracing failure without structured learning leads to wasted effort. The most innovative and inclusive teams don’t fail randomly—they: 🔹 Run experiments with clear hypotheses 🔹 Test assumptions rather than take blind risks 🔹 Extract insights from failures and iterate But here’s the catch—learning from failure requires psychological safety. Without an environment where people feel safe to share mistakes, challenge ideas, and admit uncertainty, failure becomes a silent roadblock instead of a stepping stone. 💡 Leaders set the tone. Here are 3 practical ways to foster intelligent failure: 1️⃣ Track “good failures” as a key metric Most teams track success metrics—but what if you also tracked learning-driven failures? Encourage teams to document failures that led to valuable insights, prevented bigger mistakes, or refined an approach. 2️⃣ Design “pre-mortem” sessions before major decisions Instead of only analyzing failures after they happen, conduct pre-mortems: 🔹 Ask, “If this project were to fail, what might have caused it?” 🔹 Gather diverse perspectives to uncover risks early 🔹 Strategize preventive actions to minimize blind spots This approach reduces costly mistakes while creating an inclusive space for open dialogue. 3️⃣ Assign a “Red Team” to challenge assumptions Cognitive biases and groupthink often lead to avoidable failures. Before implementing a major decision, assign a rotating "Red Team" to stress-test ideas by deliberately challenging assumptions, questioning the data, and proposing alternative perspectives. 💭 What’s one thing you do to turn failure into a learning opportunity in your team? Let’s share insights! 🔔 Follow me to learn more about building inclusive, high-performing teams. __________________________ 🌟 Hi there! I’m Susanna, an accredited Fearless Organization Scan Practitioner with 10+ years of experience in workplace inclusion. I help companies build inclusive cultures where diverse, high-performing teams thrive with psychological safety. Let’s unlock your team’s full potential together!

What nobody tells you about covering up mistakes... When I first started out in my career, I thought covering up small mistakes would stop me from looking incompetent. I’d tell a client something wrong, misinterpret a request, or make an error in a report - and go out of my way to try to hide it. After all, they were only small mistakes, right? But small mistakes need small lies to cover them. And often those lies would grow. Eventually, I'd be left with more to fix than the original mistake caused and worse, my integrity was in question. Over time, I came to a realisation. Mistakes are inevitable. These micro-failures are necessary, from them you develop the corrections that help you succeed. The problem comes when we avoid accepting responsibility. I’ve learned the hard way that without accountability, you end up going nowhere fast. Here’s the truth: ➡️ Accepting responsibility for your errors is the first step towards real growth. ➡️ Recognising and owning up to mistakes helps you correct course faster. ➡️ The real opportunity lies in learning from mistakes, not hiding from them. ➡️ A healthy work culture values transparency and growth over perfection. If you're covering up mistakes, ask yourself this: What’s the cost of holding on to them? What would happen if you let go and learned instead? Mistakes are part of the process. The only thing that can derail your success is refusing to accept them and move forward.

Words of Wisdom (WoW) Wednesday: Why Your Biggest Mistakes Are Your Best Teachers 💡 "There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period." - Brené Brown This quote from Brené Brown hits hard because it's fundamentally true, especially in leadership. As leaders, we often strive for perfection, creating environments where mistakes are seen as something to be avoided at all costs. But what if I told you that this very mindset could be stifling your team's greatest potential? 🤔 Lets talk about it: ▪️ The "Flawed" App Update That Paved the Way for Perfection: I vividly recall when a major app update didn't quite hit the mark. User feedback was... direct. Instead of sweeping issues under the rug, we debriefed rigorously, diving deep into every bug report. We identified critical user pain points and performance bottlenecks we'd missed. That "failure" directly informed the next iteration, which wasn't just a fix, but a complete overhaul, becoming our most stable, feature-rich, highly-rated app version to date! 📈 ▪️ The Debugging Nightmare That Led to a Scalable Solution: Or the late-night coding session where a major bug seemed insurmountable, but in dissecting the problem, we uncovered a fundamental flaw in our architecture that led to a more robust, scalable solution than we ever initially envisioned. Sometimes, the most frustrating technical challenges illuminate the path to true innovation. 💡 As leaders, how can we foster a culture where mistakes are seen as stepping stones, not stumbling blocks? ▪️ Lead by Example: Share your own professional missteps and what you learned from them. Vulnerability builds trust. 🙏 ▪️ Create Safe Spaces for Experimentation: Encourage your team to try new things, even if the outcome is uncertain. Make it clear that the learning is more valuable than the initial "win." 🧑🔬 ▪️ Focus on the "Why": When a mistake happens, don't just assign blame. Dive deep into understanding the root cause and systemic issues. What can we learn from this? How can we prevent it next time? 🧐 ▪️ Celebrate Learning, Not Just Success: Acknowledge the effort and the insights gained from an unsuccessful attempt. This reinforces that the journey of learning is just as important as the destination. 🎉 ▪️ Embracing failure isn't about being careless; it's about being courageous enough to explore, iterate, and ultimately, innovate. Book Recommendation 📚 Want to dive deeper into learning from mistakes? I highly recommend "Black Box Thinking: Why Most People Never Learn from Their Mistakes--But Some Do" by Matthew Syed. Syed explores how industries like aviation meticulously analyze errors to improve. It's a fascinating look at why some embrace learning from failure, while others remain stuck in denial. A must-read! #Leadership #Innovation #Failure #Learning #GrowthMindset #Mistakes #BreneBrown #BlackBoxThinking #TeamDevelopment

Make Mistaks Fastr. You read that correctly. Menlo Innovations embraces this philosophy, which surprises many. Not because we want to make mistakes—but because we know we will. The reality is, no matter how much we plan, analyze, and predict, mistakes are inevitable. The question is: How quickly do we catch them? Here’s what we’ve learned: ✔️ Small, fast mistakes are far less costly than big, slow ones. ✔️ The sooner we see the mistake, the sooner we can fix it. ✔️ Iteration and feedback drive better solutions and joyful work. That’s why we operate in short cycles, show our work early and often, and invite real-time feedback from users. Mistakes don’t mean failure. They mean we’re learning, adapting, and improving. If we fear mistakes, we slow down, hesitate, and miss opportunities to innovate. But if we embrace mistakes as part of the process, we move faster, build better, and create work we’re truly proud of.

You do not become a strong engineer by avoiding failure. Every software engineer grows by repeating one thing again and again. That is Mistakes. – Shipping features that break user flows – Writing code that does not handle edge cases – Designing systems that crumble under traffic load – Underestimating how ugly production can get Reading theory feels safe. Watching system design videos feels productive. Following tutorials feels like progress. But none of that replaces the moment when something you built goes live, hits usage, and falls apart in ways you did not predict. You grow when –  Your service goes down at 2 AM and you have to trace the root cause – Your “clever” abstraction becomes a nightmare to debug – Your database query that looked fine in dev locks the table in prod – Your “quick fix” causes a silent data bug that you have to untangle later That is when you learn – Why logs and metrics matter more than perfect code – Why simplicity beats cleverness in the long run – Why you always design with failure paths in mind – Why naming, contracts, and boundaries are not “just details” The engineers who become truly good are not the ones who always got it right. They are the ones who shipped, broke things, owned the fallout, and came back with better judgment. Courses give you vocabulary. Tutorials give you confidence. Mistakes give you wisdom. You do not become a strong engineer by avoiding failure. You become one by meeting it early, taking responsibility, and letting it shape how you build from that day onward.