to watch it, and it lasted only five or six episodes. It was a flop,
but I don’t see it as a failure. So it also wasn’t a mistake. Mis-
takes aren’t failures either, and I don’t take them seriously. It’s
okay to make mistakes, as long as you make them in good con-
science and you’re doing the best you can at that moment....
I’m not afraid to make a mistake, and I’m not afraid to say af-
terward, ‘Boy, that was a mistake. Let’s try something else.’ I
think that wins people over. Now, I don’t make mistakes pur-
posely to win people over, but when I make one, I admit it. I
can also say, ‘You have a better idea than I have. Let’s do your
idea.’ I don’t second-guess people. If I hire you to do some-
thing, I let you do it.”
Jim Burke actually encouraged mistakes at Johnson & John-
son, saying, “I decided that what we needed more than any-
thing else was a climate that would encourage people to take
risks.... I started with the premise that we could accomplish
anything we wanted to accomplish, if the people around me
were permitted to do what they wanted to do. From the benefit
of hindsight, it was somewhat naive on my part, assuming that
anybody can do anything. On the other hand, I think many of
my successes are wrapped up in the same thing. If you believe
that growth comes from risk taking, that you can’t grow with-
out it, then it’s essential in leading people toward growth to get
them to make decisions, and to make mistakes.”
Burke went on to tell of his own experience with a mistake:
“I once developed a new product that failed badly, and General
Johnson called me in, and I was sure he was going to fire me. I
had just come in late when his secretary called, and he was al-
ways in early. I can remember walking over to his office....
Johnson said to me, ‘I understand you lost over a million dol-
lars.’ I can’t remember the exact amount. It seemed like a lot
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