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.

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)

“The noble failure is essential to innovation and growth. But what is the difference between the noble failure, the sloppy mistake, and blameworthy sabotage? How can you make sure you're creating the conditions for success? Right Kind of Wrong will help you take the kind of risks you have to take in order to succeed in your career and in life.” (Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor and Just Work)

“Amy Edmondson’s intelligent, warm and funny Right Kind of Wrong will take you through the landscape of failure – the good ones that we learn from, the stupid ones we wish we could roll back, and the catastrophic ones we would all benefit from collaborating to avoid. It’s packed with examples and stories and lands with some meaningful ideas about how you can cultivate awareness to, indeed, fail well.” (Rita McGrath, bestselling author of The End of Competitive Advantage)

“Failing is such an important part of living and leading. Finally, we have the book that will help us learn how to fail well. In it, Amy shares with us very practical tools and advice illustrated by many inspiring, jaw-dropping stories. A breakthrough book that every leader needs to study and begin applying. It will make the world a better place.” (Hubert Joly, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, former Best Buy Chairman and CEO, and Author, The Heart of Business )

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.

Anyone Can Benefit From This Book

The topic relates to all of our lives, professional and personal. Whether you’re on a tactical team or building fighter jets, you should learn what this author has to say about learning from failure.

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.