The Right Kind of Wrong

By: Amy C. Edmondson

Narrated by: Kathe Mazur

Winner of the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year 2023
A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2023

A revolutionary guide that will transform your relationship with failure, from the pioneering researcher of psychological safety and award-winning Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson.

We used to think of failure as the opposite of success. Now, we’re often torn between two “failure cultures”: one that says to avoid failure at all costs, the other that says fail fast, fail often. The trouble is that both approaches lack the crucial distinctions to help us separate good failure from bad. As a result, we miss the opportunity to fail well.

After decades of award-winning research, Amy Edmondson is here to upend our understanding of failure and make it work for us. In Right Kind of Wrong, Edmondson provides the framework to think, discuss, and practice failure wisely. Outlining the three archetypes of failure—basic, complex, and intelligent—Amy showcases how to minimize unproductive failure while maximizing what we gain from flubs of all stripes. She illustrates how we and our organizations can embrace our human fallibility, learn exactly when failure is our friend, and prevent most of it when it is not. This is the key to pursuing smart risks and preventing avoidable harm.

With vivid, real-life stories from business, pop culture, history, and more, Edmondson gives us specifically tailored practices, skills, and mindsets to help us replace shame and blame with curiosity, vulnerability, and personal growth. You’ll never look at failure the same way again.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Amy C. Edmondson (P)2023 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

“Amy Edmondson, one of our finest business minds, offers a bold new perspective on human fallibility. With a graceful mix of scientific research and practical advice, she shows how to transform failure from an obstacle to a steppingstone — from a weight that holds up back to a wind that propels us forward. Right Kind of Wrong is guidebook for our times.” (Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Regret and Drive)

“No skill in life is more important than learning from failure—and no one on earth knows more about it than Amy Edmondson. Drawing on her eye-opening evidence and rich practical experience, she offers a wealth of insight on how to take intelligent risks and bounce forward after setbacks. If everyone internalized the ideas in this important book, we would all be safer, smarter, and more successful.” (Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Hidden Potential, and host of the TED podcast Re:Thinking)

“A masterclass in navigating, and even seeking out, the inevitable failures that pave the way to success. The incomparable Amy Edmondson shows us how to see failures as beginnings rather than endings—and how to create the conditions for failing well. Comprehensive, clear, and full of real-world examples, a must-read for performers and leaders alike.” (Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author of Grit)

Not a lot new

If you’ve read a lot of Adam Grant, Simon Sinek and the like you’re not going to find a lot of new ideas here. Some good anecdotes and some new framing of old concepts that help view in a different way. Overall had a hard time staying interested in the material.

Excellent book on learning from failure and growing success

Psychological safety creates the space where people collaboratively think, learn, share failures and successes, ideas, questions, problems, opportunities etc. This raises productivity to between 40% and 300% and increases joy and motivation. Amy Edmondson beautifully describes the why and how. A must read for anybody who loves to love her or his work.

Encourage people to speak about failures.

To maintain a friendly environment at work for people to talk about their failures is very important. Intelligent failure helps innovation.
This book talks about simple concepts but yet it is rarely systematically dealt with at the corporate level

This book can change the way you think

This book helped me change the way I view failure and learning. Interesting research and challenging insights.

Unbearably verbose.

Her editor did her no favors. Could not even get through half of it. I hope the information is made available in a more accessible way at some point.

Wisdom builder!

Once again, Amy shows us how leaders, entrepreneurs, and citizens can unleash innovation. It begins with two mindset shifts: embracing a growth mindset, and a willingness to cultivate intelligent failure.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to make a difference in the world and with their families.

Content and narration!

I liked the approach of being safe and able to try even when there are real chances to fail

More of motivation than framework

The book is more about motivating readers to persevere, and less about providing readers with a framework for identifying risks that are worth taking. It also oversimplifies the reasons for success in some examples used.

It however does a good job of linking work cultures to openness to share information about errors which leads to improvements.

Good useful book

Good fressh stroies, practical examples that you may implement in your teams, interesting statement and citations that may be a nice motto or “phrase of the day” for the people with creative minds and restless natures)

Excellent

Engaging and timely - excellent for anyone striving for better. Easy read.

I hate the 15 word requirement...what happen to less is more...