Fail fast, they say, but no one wants to be the one who fails

We’ve glorified failure. “Fail fast, fail forward, fail often.”

But here’s a truth no one admits:

Most organizations will punish failure. The people who actually take risks and miss the mark don't get promoted.

Failure is celebrated on stage but penalized in performance reviews.

In most companies, costly mistakes end careers.

Even when companies say they want innovation, their rewards system says otherwise. They pick steady results over new ideas potentially failing every time.

Here’s a question:

What happens in your company to the person who took a risk and missed the mark?

See also: Corporate Innovation Strategy: Why 80% of Projects Fail (And How to Survive)