Black Box Thinking

Success is built on failure. The only difference between winners and losers is that winners learn from their mistakes and move forward.

1. Fear of Failure Stems from Protecting Self-Esteem

The reluctance to admit mistakes originates from our deep fear of hurting our self-esteem. Both children and adults resist acknowledgment of their errors because it feels like a direct attack on their sense of self-worth. Even when presented with undeniable evidence, people often find it hard to confront personal shortcomings.

The criminal justice system offers striking examples. Prosecutors, when confronted with evidence that their judgment was flawed, often double down on their stance to avoid the emotional fallout of admitting fault. The case of Juan Rivera, a man wrongfully imprisoned for 13 years despite exonerating DNA evidence, demonstrates how strongly people cling to their initial judgments to preserve their self-image.

Denial isn’t always about malice; it’s often about self-preservation. Prosecutors or professionals in similar positions may genuinely convince themselves they are right, rather than face the unsettling truth of their mistake. Overcoming this requires awareness of how coping mechanisms override the pursuit of truth.

Examples

• Children denying they drew on the wall despite evidence in their hands.
• Prosecutors refusing to admit errors even after DNA exoneration.
• Professionals who obscure mistakes to protect pride.

2. Failure is the First Step Toward Growth

Failure might sting, but it’s an important sign that something isn’t working. It’s an opportunity to collect feedback and adjust your approach, be it in personal habits, business models, or skills development.

Think of playing basketball: missing a shot provides valuable clues about what went wrong. Maybe your grip on the ball is unstable, or maybe you’re not using the right amount of force. Each mishap helps refine your technique. Similarly, when natural selection operates over generations, it’s like a record of past 'failures' that help species improve their survival mechanisms.

Businesses, too, thrive when they embrace experimentation and failure. Unilever’s team created hundreds of failing designs before finally developing a glitch-free nozzle. Each trial offered insights to fine-tune the product until they reached the optimal version.

Examples

• Missing basketball shots teaches proper form.
• Natural selection refines life forms over time.
• A clogged-nozzle project was perfected through 449 failed designs.

3. Ignoring Mistakes Prevents Progress

Failure is a fact of life, but refusing to admit errors leads to stagnation. When people sweep mistakes under the rug, they repeat them and limit opportunities for improvement. Honest assessment plays a key role in better outcomes.

The medical profession showcases this denial starkly. Doctors and nurses, fearful of losing credibility, avoid confessing mistakes. This attitude results in systemic errors that harm patients over and over. Shockingly, over 40,000 people die annually in the U.S. due to medical errors, a preventable but ongoing issue.

On the other hand, lack of willingness to question outdated practices solidifies failure, as seen in pseudo-sciences like astrology or antiquated medical treatments such as bloodletting. Without the courage to admit failure, there’s no room for improvement or progress.

Examples

• Repeated medical errors claiming thousands of lives annually.
• The unchanged nature of astrology over centuries.
• The bloody persistence of harmful practices like bloodletting.

4. Honest Testing of Ideas Fosters Growth

We often cling to simple explanations without bothering to test their validity. This discourages progress because untested beliefs become accepted truths. True improvement requires a willingness to challenge assumptions and allow them to fail.

Medieval doctors were confident that bloodletting was beneficial but never validated it. It took rigorous testing in modern times to debunk this belief. Controlled experiments such as randomized control tests (RCT) provide an effective method of separating false assumptions from reality.

Honest testing is like putting ideas under a magnifying glass. While it may lead to temporary discomfort, it opens the gateway for discoveries and solutions. Only by creating opportunities for failure do we unlock the potential for success.

Examples

• Bloodletting persisted until clinical trials disproved its effectiveness.
• RCTs in medical studies reveal clear causal relationships.
• Testing theories prepares us to face challenges with informed strategies.

5. Failure Sparks Invention

Failure isn’t just about fixing mistakes—it’s also a springboard for fresh ideas and creative solutions. When things go wrong, it forces us to think differently and innovate.

Take the ATM: John Shephard-Barron’s annoyance at missing banking hours sparked the idea of a cash machine that operates 24/7. His initial failure to have cash when he needed it led to solving a broader accessibility issue for others.

In education, failure can also help refine solutions to systemic problems. A trial-and-error approach in Kenya revealed that textbook donations didn’t improve children’s grades. Through repeated tests, researchers found that de-worming medicine had a far greater impact on educational outcomes.

Examples

• The frustration of missing bank hours led to the invention of the ATM.
• Testing quick fixes in Kenyan schools revealed de-worming as the best remedy.
• Failures during Apollo 13’s crisis guided NASA's problem-solving strategy.

6. Complexity Makes Learning from Failure Harder

The more complex a problem, the harder it is to pinpoint exactly what went wrong. Breaking tasks into smaller, manageable pieces allows for more precise refinements.

When large-scale failures occur—like poor educational outcomes across a continent—simply observing results doesn’t uncover root causes. Instead, partial trials provide clarity. By addressing small, specific factors and analyzing outcomes, effective solutions emerge over time.

This process of iterative refinement is what allows even the most daunting challenges to become solvable. Understanding that complexity needs rigorous, focused experimentation helps smooth the journey to progress.

Examples

• Systematic trials in African schools fine-tuned education strategies.
• Engineers address glitches in manufacturing machines by isolating key malfunctions.
• Addressing climate goals step-by-step avoids being paralyzed by the bigger picture.

7. Avoiding Failure Creates Artificial Barriers

People often deliberately put barriers in their own way just so they can blame failure on those barriers rather than on themselves. This self-sabotage stems from trying to avoid confronting shortcomings.

In school, for example, students who fear failing exams may stay out late the night before as an unconscious escape. If they perform poorly, they rationalize it as the result of partying, not lack of preparation.

This creates a cycle where people stop attempting to improve because they’ve convinced themselves external factors determine their outcomes. Breaking free requires honesty about motives and a willingness to accept and learn from inevitable failures.

Examples

• Students partying before exams create an excuse for failure.
• Entrepreneurs avoid pitching ideas to escape rejection.
• Athletes blame poor equipment instead of refining technique.

8. Growth Mindset Triumphs over Fixed Thinking

Your attitude toward failure determines how much you learn from it. Studies show that people who see intelligence or skills as grown through effort (growth mindset) are better at bouncing back from failures than those who see them as fixed traits.

For example, children taught that intelligence is malleable are more likely to use feedback productively. Instead of giving up after a challenge, they take it as an opportunity to improve and do better next time.

Shifting from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset transforms failure from a source of shame to a stepping stone for improvement. Embrace failure as the best teacher, and you’ll uncover doors to growth you didn’t know existed.

Examples

• Psychologists at Michigan State University showed growth mindsets outperform fixed ones.
• Athletes who analyze losses improve future performance.
• Entrepreneurs learn from prior ventures to strengthen their next business.

9. Embracing Failure Is Non-Negotiable for Success

Failure is not a villain but a companion in the journey to achievement. Those who avoid failure limit themselves to mediocrity, but those who embrace it unlock areas of untold potential.

The process of learning from failure involves introspection—identifying what went wrong and figuring out how to approach it differently. It’s uncomfortable but necessary. Everyone from inventors like Thomas Edison to global businesses has proven that falling short often precedes breakthrough success.

By changing how you view failure, you create the foundation for meaningful learning, resilience, and an open mind, all critical to reaching your goals and aspirations.

Examples

• Thomas Edison celebrated countless failed inventions before perfecting the light bulb.
• Companies like Unilever improve products through test failures.
• NASA learns from space mission challenges for future exploration.

Takeaways

1. Start viewing mistakes as opportunities to uncover what isn’t working and to improve your processes or understanding.
2. Test your ideas with small experiments before scaling up, and embrace feedback as a tool for growth.
3. Shift your mindset toward seeing challenges and failures as a natural part of progress and personal development.