Fail Articles

We’re curious people by nature. And we love to teach others what we’ve learned. So explore our blog to gain fresh insights from our expertise in areas ranging from culture to AI.

SEP Selected as a Nominee for TechPoint’s Innovation Mira Award

TechPoint has announced the nominees for its 25th annual Mira Awards, highlighting the most innovative companies, universities, and organizations in Indiana’s tech sector. The awards celebrate achievements across various categories, including the Innovation Partner of the Year. Nominees in this…
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Failure is Part of Success

I did my tenth Toastmasters speech today which fulfill the requirements for a Competent Communicator Award Here is the speech: “Thomas Edison once said, I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. What he is referring to is a cost effective Electric light bulb. He tried 10,000 times to make it […]
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3 Hard Steps on How to Fail (you probably can’t do them)

I have many friends who cannot help but win. Everything they do seems to blossom, and sometimes I wonder if they might not be descended from King Midas in some ethereal way. Here’s how to prevent yourself from being another victim of Pervasive Success™. 1. Avoid things you’re good at Being good at something takes […]
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To Fail or Not to Fail

If you’ve been on this planet longer than a few minutes, then you know how to actively fail. A baby learning that he can control that thing on the end of his arm and scratching his forehead open with those paper thin fingernails. The teenager who rebels against her parents, just to regret it later […]
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How To Fail At Technical Leadership

Most people in technical leadership got there because they demonstrated excellence doing technical things. Unfortunately, technical leadership is a completely different job. It can certainly be learned, but some lessons are typically learned the hard way. Here are some ways to make that transition badly: Don’t provide structure You were their teammate. Now you’re their […]
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“How to fail” – by avoiding failure…

Why do we, as humans, keep doing the same thing over and over again?  Albert Einstein would call that, insanity. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein The most common way that I see people failing, is by trying to avoid failure. By avoid, I mean […]
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Failure behind a curtain helps performers to shine in the spotlight

In any profession involving performance (like music or sports), the professionals practice out of sight of their audience. They practice to get better. They push their limits and try things they’ve never tried before. When they try those things for the first time, they suck! The football player misses the catch trying out that new […]
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How to Fail (The Working Mom Version)

SEP Blog Battle 500 starts with writing about How to Fail. Great! Something we can all relate to! So I bring to you “How to Fail (The Working Mom Version)”, also known as “How to NOT Do This Whole Work and Procreate Thing”. Let’s start from the beginning… Pick a life partner that expects a […]
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How to [Fail to] Get a Job at SEP

When we go to college career fairs, professors will often ask us to come give talks to their classes about something useful. After one of these requests, I was contemplating giving a talk on “How to Get a Job at SEP” (due to some of the experiences that day). Given that it is unlikely I’ll […]
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3Q Book Review: The Logic of Failure

The Logic of Failure by Dietrich Dorner What’s the point? The premise of the book is that humans are notoriously bad at thinking through complex systems. We can’t plan or predict well and we don’t manage them well once we’re entangled in them. He presents a number of studies (real life and experiments) to explore […]
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