OOPS!
The entire history of the human species, both physical and intellectual, is one of constant adaptation. Our bodies evolved to accommodate changing threats (predators, disease, weather) and our minds evolved based on response to experience and exchange of ideas. We are a constant experiment. This process has advanced by a long series of failed experiments and mistakes. Success teaches us very little; failure is a prolific instructor.
Because success fools us by convincing us that we know more than we do, and because of the nature of American culture, we underestimate the value of failure as a teacher. We tend to glorify success. We read books about successful people, thinking we can learn the secret of success. We mock failure. All of that is a mistaken perception of mistakes.
Not that all mistakes are good. There are plain old dumb mistakes — doing stuff that almost anybody should know will end poorly. There is also classic insanity — doing the same dysfunctional thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome.
The mistakes I’m referring to are attempts to get from point A to point B that fail. Most of them are undertaken with the best of intentions. Our innate inability to conceive the future (except to conceive the present with a change in one or two variables) and the inevitable complexity of most situations prevent us from making perfect decisions. Conditions change. Other actors in the drama respond to our actions in ways we didn’t anticipate. In many cases, we just overlooked something.
Most of the time, our mistakes lead to blame, and maybe shame. That is the wrong response. The proper response should be “nice try”. In the immortal words of a friend of mine, “we learn by doing”. If the mistake is properly analyzed, we can find out what we overlooked and what might work the next time.
As an endeavor, science is all about tryin’ stuff. You come up with a theory of how reality works, and try to concoct an experiment to prove your theory. If the experiment is successful, you then validate the theory by a long series of experiments designed to disprove it. In the end, the usual result is that the theory is close, but not perfect. Virtually every physical law is at least slightly imperfect.
The business world, conducted properly, is a daily experiment. You try something to see if it works. Can you produce a product or service and sell it at a price that yields a profit? Can you respond to changing market conditions? Can you stay one step ahead of the competition? Can you refine the process to generate more sales and greater profitability? If it works, keep doing it until it doesn’t work. If it doesn’t work, try something else. Each day is a new experiment.
Bureaucracies, both the public and private versions thereof, are not very good at this process. When a mistake occurs, the typical response is to repeatedly slam the barn door after the cow is two counties over. Then, it is time to find the scapegoat. Finally, a long series of rules will be written to be absolutely certain that “it can never happen again”. The result is paralysis. Saying “yes” to a new idea risks scapegoat status. Saying “no” is almost always the safe course. A career filled with no gets you to a comfortable retirement check. Ossification is the usual result. Private sector bureaucracies are eventually punished by a visit to the bankruptcy court; public bureaucracies are only undone by major political upheaval or revolution.
The democratic political process is also not good at the art of learning by doing. Politicians are never allowed to admit a mistake. The most outrageous goofs are defended endlessly. Big time politicians have entire infrastructures dedicated to creating narratives justifying their every decision/vote. They go to endless lengths to prove they were always right and consistent in their positions. Woe betide the elected official who changes his/her position on an issue. The flip/flop ad campaign is already in the can and ready to air.
As a society, we would be much better off if we learned to value a good try that failed. Books should be written (and avidly studied) by those who took a shot that missed. Politicians should be encouraged to change their minds. Bureaucrats should be promoted who tried and failed and learned something in the process.
