As a leader of teams specializing in organizational development and transformation, Anne Katrine Carlsson Sejr has often been frustrated by the oversimplified advice in business literature.
She therefore set out to write a story that feels real—where leaders don’t have all the answers, mistakes happen, and the best intentions still meet resistance.
Anne Katrine, with Ivanna Mikhailovna Rosendal, VP of Digitalisation at a biotech, co-authored the upcoming book, Maneuvering Monday (launching 16th September) – blending fiction with deep business insight.
Together, Anne Katrine and Ivanna host the Maneuvering Monday podcast, where experts and thought leaders share insights, experiences, and concrete maneuvers to tackle the challenges inspired by the book’s main characters and dilemmas.
Failure in the workplace is inevitable.
We all know it happens. Code breaks, deadlines slip, and sometimes you just completely misread the room (or the Jira ticket). But despite how universal it is, failure often remains a taboo subject at work. It’s something we bury quietly under an “it’s fine” and move swiftly past.
But here’s the thing: every time we skip over failure in silence, we also skip over a powerful learning opportunity. And crucially, the opportunity to improve as an individual, a team, or even an organisation.
The cost of silence
In tech especially, where innovation is key, the cost of silence is high. If we don’t talk about what didn’t work, it’s harder for us to improve and continuously build better systems, stronger teams, and more inclusive cultures. Silence doesn’t just block growth – it can breed confusion, mistrust and repeated mistakes that quietly erode team morale over time.
So why is it so hard to share mistakes?
Let’s be honest: it feels awful. It’s vulnerable. It can stir up shame, embarrassment, and the fear of being seen as incompetent, especially in workplaces that quietly (or not-so-quietly) glorify perfection.
But precisely because it feels so vulnerable, talking about mistakes is powerful. When leaders and teammates share their failures openly, they normalise the experience for others. They create space for honesty, learning, and connection. And slowly, failure stops being a source of shame and starts being what it really is: a sign that we’re trying, experimenting, and growing.
Make failure a safe subject
Creating a workplace where failure is safe to talk about, and even celebrated, doesn’t just happen. It needs to be built with intention. If you want your team to tell you the uncomfortable truth – the bug that went live, the misunderstanding in last week’s sprint – you need to make it safe to do so.
That’s why it’s crucial that leaders and teams create rituals, language, and systems that make failure a safe subject.
Here are a few ways to start:
Create failure-friendly rituals
One of my favourite team rituals is “the Museum of Failure”. Here’s how it works: when a mistake happens, the team gathers to acknowledge it together.
First, the failure is shared openly. Then it’s categorised: was this a bad decision or just a bad outcome? That distinction matters. Many “failures” aren’t the result of poor judgment, but of experimentation – and that’s something we should encourage. After identifying the learning, the mistake is celebrated. Teams toast with the beverage of choice, give high-fives, or do a little dance.
To create an environment of openness and bonding, all team members bring a mistake to share and discuss. The mistakes are written or drawn on post-its that are put on a poster, creating a physical “Museum of Failure”.
It may sound silly, but it works. Celebrating failure builds trust. It says: “We’re in this together.”
Put it on the agenda
Don’t wait for things to blow up before you talk about what’s not working. In team meetings, make space for solving problems together. Add a recurring agenda item like “What’s currently broken?” or “What didn’t go as planned this week?”
When leaders are honest about their own failures in these settings, it sends a powerful signal that mistakes aren’t something to hide, but a natural part of the process.
Dig deeper in 1:1s
As leaders in organisations, focus less on wins during your 1:1s, and more on things that are not working. What’s frustrating them? What have they tried that didn’t work? The more curious you are about what’s not going according to the plan, the more you are showing your team that their full experience matters. Not just the polished version.
Turn mistakes into momentum
Failure isn’t the opposite of success. It’s a key part of it. Especially in tech, where iteration is the name of the game, we need to normalise, embrace, and yes, even celebrate failure.
So, the next time something goes wrong at work, don’t bury it. Bring it into the light. Raise a toast and say: “Here’s what happened. Here’s what we learned. And here’s how we move forward.”
Because the truth is: when people don’t have to waste energy hiding their mistakes, they can put that energy into solving them and improving. When failure becomes something we talk about, it becomes something we learn from. And when teams know that it’s safe to make mistakes, they take more risks. They innovate. They ask better questions. They grow.
