Share stories of famous failures that led to success. Highlight how mistakes lead to learning and improvement. Encourage small, low-risk experiments to reduce fear. Celebrate efforts, even if they don't work out. Provide a safe space for trying new ideas. Show how failure in R&D can lead to future breakthroughs.

To help your team view failure as a stepping stone in R&D, foster a culture that celebrates experimentation and learning. Encourage them to see each failure as valuable data, not a dead end, by sharing examples of successful innovations born from trial and error (e.g., Dyson's prototypes). Create a safe environment where risks are expected and mistakes are part of the process. Offer constructive feedback on failures, focusing on what was learned rather than the negative outcome. Reinforce the idea that innovation thrives on iteration and that every failure brings the team closer to the right solution.

N?o gosto da ideia de glorificar o fracasso. A sensa??o nunca é boa. Mas se você atua com inova??o, precisa ter uma mentalidade de lidar bem com erros. Apenas erre rápido e barato. Aprenda com o erro e siga em frente. Aprendemos muito com os erros. Eles podem ser muito valiosos. Importante: analise o erro, porque ele pode ser muito mais do que apenas uma forma de n?o chegar ao objetivo. A partir de um erro, você pode, inclusive, ter um novo insight.

I’ve faced similar situations where my team feared failure, and it stalled our progress. What worked was sharing stories of successful innovations that were born from failure. I fostered an environment where mistakes were treated as learning moments, not setbacks. Regular brainstorming sessions allowed us to embrace new ideas, and I encouraged experimenting without the fear of judgment. It shifted our mindset to see failures as vital stepping stones to breakthroughs.

It's possible to turn R&D hurdles into successes. Remind your team of other “failures” that later turned into successes. One of my favorites is the invention of the Post-it note by Dr. Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M. He was attempting to create a super-strong adhesive. Instead, he accidentally developed a low-tack, reusable adhesive that stuck lightly to surfaces but didn’t bond tightly. Initially, this 'failure' seemed like a dead end, but it turned out that light adhesive had just the right amount of stick for the Post-it note we never knew we needed. Fail fast and fail forward!