The general manager of an insurance company, concerned that her salespeople were so afraid of failure that they hesitated to take even well-calculated risks, took action at a sales meeting. She put two $100 bills on the table and related her most recent failure, along with the lesson she had learned from it, then she challenged anyone else at the meeting to relate a bigger failure and “win” the $200. When no one spoke up, she scooped up he money and said that she would repeat her offer at each monthly sales meeting. From the second month on, the manager never again got to keep the $200, and as people began to discuss their failures, the sales department became more successful, quadrupling their earnings in one year.

Change always entails some kind of risk. And one way to encourage risk-taking in others is to use your personal failures as examples. Talk openly and honestly about your errors and setbacks -- and what you learned as a result. Let people know that you took risks when you were afraid and unsure of the results. And maybe you too will watch your staff fail their way to success.