Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins

by Ralph Keyes

Precious few of us--and that includes Hall of Fame achievers like J. Paul Getty and Bill Gates--ever travel a straight line to the winner's circle. Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins, by Richard Farson and Ralph Keyes, builds on this basic assumption to suggest that some failures may not only be inevitable on our road to success, but might actually help us attain it. In earlier books, Farson (Management of the Absurd) and Keyes (Chancing It) wrote separately about risk taking and reexamining assumptions. Here, they jointly proclaim that in the age of Oprah it might truly be counterproductive to accept the traditional meaning of business yin and yang. "Relying on conventional, outmoded ideas about success and failure stands in the way of your ability to innovate, compete and stay ahead of the curve in a changing economy," they write. While slim, their book goes on to make a compelling case for "managing in the postfailure era" by supporting the type of traditionally discouraged behavior that resulted in breakthrough creativity over the years at firms like 3M, Monsanto, and Apple. Since crises, setbacks, and adversity help shape and advance our lives, the authors argue, why can't enlightened managers also turn them into forward movement in the workplace? Contrarian food for thought. --Howard Rothman

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

144 pages, Hardcover

First published May 28, 2002

About the author

Ralph Keyes is an American author. His 16 books include Is There Life After High School?, The Courage to Write, and The Post-Truth Era. That 2004 book illustrated Keyes's anticipation of social trends in his writing.

Keyes's books have dealt with topics in popular culture such as risk-taking, time pressure, loneliness, honesty, and human height. More recently he has turned to language: researching quotations, words, and expressions. "Nice Guys Finish Seventh" and The Quote Verifier explore the actual sources of familiar quotations. I Love It When You Talk Retro is about common words and phrases that are based on past events. His most recent book is Euphemania: Our Love Affair with Euphemisms. (The British edition is titled Unmentionables: From Family Jewels to Friendly Fire, What We Say Instead of What We Mean.)

Keyes has also written numerous articles for publications ranging from GQ to Good Housekeeping. An article he co-authored in 2002 won the McKinsey Award for Best Article of the Year in The Harvard Business Review.

Keyes is a frequent guest on NPR shows such as All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, and On the Media; and has appeared on The Tonight Show, 20/20, and The Oprah Winfrey Show on television. He also speaks to professional, corporate and educational groups.

After graduating from Antioch College in 1967, Keyes did graduate work at the London School of Economics and Political Science. From 1968 to 1970 he worked as an assistant to Bill Moyers, then the publisher of Long Island's Newsday. For the following decade he was a Fellow of the Center for Studies of the Person in La Jolla, California, then did freelance writing and speaking in the Philadelphia area.

Reviews

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the main premise of the book--that failure is a key part of success--is compelling, and the info contained provides a nice jolt to shake readers out of their low self-esteem, I found this book to be more a collection of anecdotes than a well-organized expository piece. As well, many of the anecdotes centered around sports and business, particularly high-tech and internet business; where are the stories about art, music, government? To more fully support the main thesis of the book, the authors need to provide a wider range of examples.

[Erin Hartshorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of interesting ideas in here, all revolving around similarities between success and failure, the need to worry about neither when focused on a task, and risk tolerance. It helped me think through some issues I've had with a book I'm writing, but it also gave me a lot to think about in terms of parenting.

[Fanda Kutubuku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku yang inspiratif. Menyadarkan kita untuk tidak terlalu mengagungkan kesuksesan dan menghindari kegagalan. Keduanya berperan aktif dalam membentuk hidup kita. Yang terpenting bukan sukses atau gagal, tapi bagaimana kita belajar menyikapi setiap pengalaman kita, dan selalu berusaha menjadi baik.

[Andrea Waltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great. Research and data on why and how failures are a necessary part of achieving innovation and success.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read overall, motivating but gets a bit boring until the last few chapters (Which I liked the most... 42 to the end if I recall correctly).

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth the quick read -- informative and inspiring, with plenty of inspiring and instructive stories.

[Stephaniebrown9 · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Still) Timely and classic examination of the paradox of innovation. A quick read full of memorable examples and helpful hints that urge all to fail upwards.

[Luis Quaresma · Rating 2 out of 5]

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