How can embracing failure lead to personal growth?

The Ethical Life

Episode 178: Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss failure and how successful people often view it as an important part of achieving their goals.

Kyte explains that he is a proponent of not being afraid of failure, recounting how, as a young skier, he made it a goal to fall down frequently in order to improve, rather than just trying to make it down the hill without falling. He says this mindset of not being afraid to fail or look ignorant has served him well throughout his life and career.

The discussion then turns to how many successful people, when reflecting on their careers, often cite their failures as important learning experiences that helped them achieve greatness.

The conversation also touches on the role of luck in success, with Kyte arguing that successful people often downplay the significant impact luck has played in their achievements.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast

The Beauty of failure and the gifts we overlook, by Richard Kyte

The Importance of Failure, The Gray Area Podcast with Sean Illing

About the hosts

Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He is also the author of "Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way)."