This is a KeyNote created for Failcon Sydney 2012. The talk focused on why failure is a good thing with aim of encouraging small failures, in essence, to prevent large (epic) failures. Fail early, Fail fast... fail inexpensively. Enjoy.

1. F@#! THIS
WE ALL FAIL & WHY THAT’S A GOOD THING
THIS PRESENTATION WAS CREATED FOR FAILCON SYDNEY 2012.
IT IS BEST ACCOMPANIED BY COMMENTARY & MAKES UP A 20 MINUTE KEYNOTE ON FAILURE.
WORDS & PRESENTATION BY BEN RENNIE (ON TWITTER @BENRENNIE)
@BENRENNIE

2. OUR DAILY CHALLENGE
+ +
REMOVING NOISE. REMOVE BEFORE WE ADD... SOLVING COMPLEX PROBLEMS IS ABOUT STRIPPING BACK THE LAYERS OF COMPLEXITY. KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE.
@BENRENNIE

3. SUCCESS V’S FAILURE
80%
WE ARE
CONSISTENTLY
TELL US THEIR OPTIMISTIC ABOUT
OUR OWN
FUTURES AND
BUSINESS IS PESSIMISTIC
ABOUT OUR
COMPETITORS.
DOING WELL
THERE IS A
DISCONNECT
BETWEEN HOW WE
SEE OUR OWN
75%
FUTURE, AND HOW
WE SEE THE
FUTURE OF THE
TELL US THEIR MARKET.
WE ALL WANT TO
COMPETITORS SUCCEED, NO ONE
WANTS TO FAIL,
AND AS A RESULT,
ARE DOING IT TOUGH
MOST OF US END
UP SOMEWHERE
IN BETWEEN.
@BENRENNIE

4. A REAL LIFE
INFOGRAPH
80% OF THE ROOM STAND UP, BASED ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDES DATA, IF THIS IS TRUE, THEN I WILL BE FINE... HOWEVER YOU ARE ALL STUFFED!
@BENRENNIE

5. HOW MANY COMPANIES FAIL?
THE OLDEST COMPANY IS..
1305 YEARS
OLD
NISIYAMA ONSEN KEIUNKAN
60% OF COMPANIES THAT IS
WON’T LAST 3 OUT
5 YEARS OF 5
@BENRENNIE

6. WHY?
60%
OF COMPANIES
DON”T LAST
MORE THAN 5 YEARS
WHY DON’T WE
TALK ABOUT THAT?
WE NEED TO DEFINE FAILURE. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?
@BENRENNIE

7. The idea that failure is not an option is dangerous.
It makes failure invisible.
Over time, making it... inevitable.
@BENRENNIE

8. WE CAN’T AVOID FAILURE!
So we need to embrace it.
Analysing Success is like looking in a rear view mirror . We try to replicate our previous success or someone else's. The real value of learning is from being
able to extract lessons from our Failures... this means, we need to talk about it.
@BENRENNIE

9. COMPANIES GOING BROKE
WE DON’T NEED EPIC FAILURES
BUT WE DO NEED FAILURE.
EVERYDAY SETBACKS
@BENRENNIE

10. WHAT IF YOU STARTED
AGAIN TOMORROW?
What 3 behaviours from your past would keep?
Consider the fire drill.
@BENRENNIE

11. THIS IS WHAT I KEPT FROM MY FIRE: 3 BEHAVIOURS.
ACTION CONNECTION DEVIATION
Creating what Connecting to Forging new paths.
you can not see. culture & humanity.
THE QUESTION:
HOW DO WE RETHINK HOW WE RUN OUR COMPANIES?
@BENRENNIE

12. WE NEED TO INTRINSIC
RETHINK HOW V’S
WE RUN OUR
COMPANIES EXTRINSIC
@BENRENNIE GOOGLE: DAN H. PINK

13. DON’T FORGET TO BE HAPPY
@BENRENNIE

14. 1. Not part of the essential nature of
someone or something; coming or
operating from outside.
EXTRINSIC 2. (of a muscle, such as any of the eye
muscles) Having its origin some
distance from the part that it moves.
*
Rewarding people to solve complex
problems doesn't solve the problem, it
actually does the opposite.
@BENRENNIE GOOGLE: DAN H. PINK

15. 1. Belonging naturally; essential.
INTRINSIC
2. (of a muscle) Contained wholly within
the organ on which it acts.
*
Rewards narrow focus,
concentrate the mind.
*
There’s a mismatch between what
science knows and companies do.
@BENRENNIE GOOGLE: DAN H. PINK

16. A GREAT IDEA IS 1% IDEA
WORTH NOTHING 99% EXECUTION
@BENRENNIE

17. MY 3 RULES OF FAIL EARLY
FAIL FAST
EXECUTION FAIL INEXPENSIVELY
@BENRENNIE

18. LET’S CREATE LEARN FROM FAILURE
COMPANIES LISTEN TO IDEAS
EMBRACE RISK
THAT REWARD BRAVERY
@BENRENNIE

19. IN THE NEXT 30 DAYS...
TODAY 30 DAYS
@BENRENNIE

20. IN THE NEXT 30 DAYS...
CREATE CHANGE SHARE
SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHING
@BENRENNIE

21. THANKS.
BEN RENNIE
TWITTER: @BENRENNIE
WWW.SIXPOINTTWO.NET
@BENRENNIE
@BENRENNIE