Failure Post-Action Review
Turn each mistake into a specific adjustment for the next attempt
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 98%
The Failure Post-Action Review turns mistakes into iterative improvement. After an attempt, the person reconstructs what was expected, what occurred, which decisions mattered, and whether an ignored intuition or missing signal was present. The review concludes with a concrete change to test the next time a comparable situation arises. Repeated cycles build judgment, resilience, and confidence in one's informed instincts. Ayers Badan argues that avoiding failure causes people to calcify and become brittle, while frequent bounded attempts keep them nimble and close to the edge of learning. The method therefore values failure only when it produces honest reflection and changed behavior. It does not celebrate preventable harm or repeat errors without analysis; the useful unit is attempt, review, adjustment, and renewed attempt.
Origin
Erika Ayers Badan describes using repeated mistakes in partnerships, hiring, trust, and leadership as material for continuous self-review.
Core principles
- 01Frequent failure can indicate active experimentation
- 02Reflection converts pain into better judgment
- 03Small corrections compound into resilience
- 04Avoiding all failure creates brittleness
How to run it
- 1
Reconstruct the attempt
Record the objective, assumptions, constraints, and decision made before judging the result. Separate what was known then from what became obvious later.
Pro tip Complete the review while the sequence is still fresh.
Watch out Hindsight bias can make the original uncertainty disappear.
- 2
Name the failure precisely
Describe the actual gap between expectation and outcome. Avoid global labels about personal worth or competence.
Pro tip Use observable consequences rather than emotional adjectives.
Watch out A vague conclusion such as "I failed" provides no reusable information.
- 3
Compare signals with choices
Identify warnings, evidence, or intuition that appeared before the decision and how you responded. Distinguish bad process from an unlucky outcome.
Pro tip Ask whether you would make the same decision again with the same information.
Watch out Do not rewrite every unlucky result as proof that the choice was irrational.
- 4
Select one correction
Define a behavioral or procedural adjustment for the next similar situation. Make it specific enough to observe.
Pro tip Prefer a small rule that can be tested quickly.
Watch out A long list of lessons often produces no changed behavior.
- 5
Re-enter the arena
Apply the correction in another bounded attempt and review the new result. Continue iterating rather than allowing failure to create avoidance.
Pro tip Reduce the stakes while practicing a new response.
Watch out Reflection without another attempt can harden into rumination.
In the wild
Ayers Badan describes entering a partnership even though her gut suggested it was wrong. A post-action review compares that early signal with the eventual outcome and turns it into a stronger rule for evaluating and trusting future partnerships.
→ The mistake becomes evidence that improves later judgment instead of only a source of regret.
A manager reviews a failed hire and finds that urgency caused the team to skip a role-specific work sample. The next search adds a realistic exercise and structured scoring before final interviews.
→ The manager converts a general hiring regret into a testable process change.
Common mistakes
Celebrating failure without learning
Failure has no automatic value; it becomes useful only when reflection produces a changed decision or behavior.
Turning review into self-attack
Global shame obscures the specific assumptions and actions that can be improved.
Ignoring the stakes
Experiments should be bounded when failure could seriously harm employees, customers, or the organization.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for people making repeated decisions in uncertain, fast-changing environments.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for reckless experimentation where failure could cause irreversible harm without safeguards.
From the transcript
“if you do not get comfortable failing, you start to calcify.”
“being willing to trip and mess up and then course correct. It is such a shortcut to growth.”
“You should be post morteming yourself all the time.”
From the episode
Erika Ayers Badan on Digital Innovation
Erika Ayers Badan