THINKING ABOUT MEETINGS
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Tuition vs. Failure
"Let's stop calling it failure. Let's call it tuition." How one leader's reframe gave her team permission to try new things, on one condition
We were facilitating a retreat for a few dozen senior executives when the conversation turned to a bold strategy and the risk it might fail.
That's when the group's new leader said something I've never forgotten:
Let's stop talking about failure. It's a scary word we've been conditioned to avoid all our lives. Let's call it tuition instead.
We should be happy to pay tuition, because lessons are the only way this organization improves.
But I'll be damned if we're going to pay to take the same class twice.
The room understood immediately. They had permission to try things that might not work and an obligation to share what they learned when they didn't.
I've told this story countless times, and I still picture her team opening their meetings with: "So, who wants to share what we learned in class this week?"
What tuition has your organization paid lately?
Last Updated: July 2, 2026