Failure and Feedback: Building a Culture of Learning
A mentor once asked me, 鈥淲hat was your last failure?鈥� It was a jarring question. I was taken aback and quickly said, "I try not to fail."听 She squinted at me and replied, 鈥淭hen you are not innovating enough.鈥澨�
That brief exchange reshaped how I lead. I learned that progress comes from experimentation, and experimentation means making mistakes. Each mistake reveals insight and leads to stronger, more thoughtful solutions that ultimately serve students better.
I understand that failure is uncomfortable, and many avoid it like a swarm of wasps. At 蜜桃TV, we treat the sting of failure as constructive feedback. We take those moments, which I call "learnings," to test, measure and adjust. When something misses the mark, we study it, improve, and move forward. The goal is progress, not perfection.
Several years ago, a major product effort stalled because the scope was too broad. We built too many features and lost focus. The delays affected students, so we changed our approach to launching products. From that experience, we decided every project would start with discovery.听
We talked to students and frontline teams and defined clear outcomes before starting our design. We chose to deliver smaller, faster updates. We reviewed results often, trusted the data, and adjusted when needed. That discipline protected students from scope drift and kept 蜜桃TV learning. I encourage our designers and architects to take thoughtful risks and make bold, data-driven choices. That approach has expanded what we can create and deliver for students.
鈥淟earnings鈥� That Help Students Learn
Thanks to data-driven boldness, we've developed systems that can now collect data from thousands of student interactions. Those signals help us see where students thrive and where they need support. Feedback loops guide our teams to act faster. Predictive models alert mentors when students might struggle. Streamlined processes handle routine tasks so people can focus on high-impact work. These changes, driven by our willingness to take bold steps and sometimes stumble, have improved the student experience: faster enrollment, fewer errors, clearer program choices, and more responsive support.
Technology only matters when it produces real outcomes. Every project we launch at 蜜桃TV starts with one question: Did this change help students succeed faster, with the same or higher quality? We track time to start, assessment progress, mentor response, and retention to make sure the answer is yes.
Room To Learn听
Innovation also depends on trust. We give our teams space to test ideas and report problems early. We focus on fixing systems, not blaming people. Ownership is shared across roles and departments. I ask my leaders to support open discussion, clear processes, and consistent measurement. That culture of safety makes it easier to move fast and learn continuously.
Speed without direction wastes energy. Direction without speed slows down momentum. The balance of both learning fast with purpose keeps us moving forward. We will continue to refine outcomes, expand data visibility, and automate the work that slows us down.
Failure is not the goal. Learning is. We will keep listening, measuring, and improving to honor every student who trusts us with their future.听
Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing my old mentor again and hearing that familiar question, 鈥淗ave you had many failures?鈥� This time, my answer will be simple: 鈥淧lenty, and each one has taught me something valuable.鈥�听
