I found a really great video on Fast Company’s website this week, and wanted to share it with you. It’s all about NASA’s “Fail Smart” program, which actually rewards employees for failing. How cool is that?

In the video, Dr. Ellen Stoffen, NASA’s chief scientist, explains that the coolest project she ever worked on at the government agency was essentially a failure. It involved sending a boat to a sea on one of Saturn’s moons in an effort to understand earth’s oceans better.

“To create a mission from the ground up, to come up with a good idea, to propose it, was hugely good fun,” Stoffen said in the video. “[But] we ended up not getting selected.”

Stoffen then said that while she was really disappointed that the project didn’t get selected — and that she felt like a failure — a month later she got a phone call asking her if she wanted to be the chief scientist at NASA. “I think it was one of those lessons where you say, ‘When you fail, you learn, and when you learn, you push forward.’”

Stoffen then discussed the “Fail Smart” program. “[The program] rewards people for failing because if you never fail you’re not pushing the envelope. You’re not going to push technology forward, you’re not going to be innovative. Learn from it, pick yourself up, and keep going.”

What are your feelings around failing? How does your company feel about failure? Does it embrace failure? Also, have you had memorable experiences of failing that actually helped you grow and move forward in your career? Would you like to share any of these experiences with our Inner Circle readers? If so, please drop me a line at mcampanelli@napco.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Meanwhile, we have a great issue this week! Check out our coverage from last month’s Women in Retail Leadership Summit (WIRLS), including a video from the keynote presentation by Wildfang CEO and Co-Founder Emma Mcilroy. In the video, Emma discusses what she’s learned from Generation Z.

Also, be sure to check out Associate Content Editor Taylor Knight’s interview with Diane Ellis, president of Chico’s, from WIRLS. In the video, Diane offers insight into her hiring strategy, how she plans to grow the brand, and provides examples of technologies that retailers should be keeping an eye on.

Finally, check out the Q&A with Lesley Jane Seymour, the former editor of More magazine and a speaker at WIRLS. Lesley discusses her next venture, Covey Club, an online/offline community for women who are life-long learners and who want the tools, connections and inspiration to make the most of their adult lives!

Enjoy!

Melissa Campanelli
Co-Founder
Women in Retail Leadership Circle