The Mistake Bank

I've been probing the use of stories in companies for learning and assessment, for more than a year now. Out of that work came an appreciation for use of stories. And the entrepreneurial work I've done, and entrepreneurs I've met, have given me a heightened appreciation for experimentation and learning from failure.

The Mistake Bank idea came out of trying to create a story library of mistakes that people could consult when they underwent some change--say, a large investment, a new company, a new job, etc. And where people who were retiring could leave a bit of a legacy. Now that it's in place and starting to grow, I'm finding, not surprisingly, that there are all sorts of interesting side benefits as well.

The Mistake Bank is an experiment--so its goals are non-numerical. However, among the objectives are to heighten awareness for the value of experimentation and the constructive use of failure for learning, the destigmatization of mistake-making and the fight against "Hermione Granger Syndrome"--the belief that anything other than perfection is useless and unproductive.

And: taking ourselves a bit less seriously.

If The Mistake Bank achieves .001% of these objectives, the project will be an overwhelming success.