Podcast Host Built a Team to Fail on Purpose

Steven Bartlett, host of the popular podcast The Diary of a CEO, has implemented a unique leadership strategy that embraces failure as a tool for growth. In a recent conversation on Daniel Lubetzky's Build or Break podcast, Bartlett revealed the existence of a dedicated team whose specific purpose is to fail intentionally.

Bartlett argues that success and failure are inherently linked. He drew a parallel to job changes, where leaving a previous role is often a prerequisite for taking on a new one, suggesting that the common advice to "never quit" can be counterproductive.

The underlying principle of Bartlett's approach is that embracing failure provides faster feedback, ultimately leading to quicker success. His team's objective is to "out-fail our competition," believing this will allow them to learn more rapidly.

This deliberate cultivation of failure is intended to accelerate the discovery of correct solutions. Bartlett stated his belief that this method enables him to "get to the correct answer faster than they do," challenging conventional business wisdom by prioritizing learning through experimentation over avoiding mistakes.