Good morning,
Yesterday afternoon, I conducted an interview as a part of a test. I am trying to find out if creating a podcast is a good idea and good use of my time.
It sucked.
I realize this as I was in the middle of it. I didn’t have to go back and listen to it all again to come to the conclusion. Something was wrong and despite the fact that I didn’t know what was wrong, I was happy.
Happy? Yes, happy.
Why? Because I know good things can come from failure. As I told Kelly Mallozzi afterward, had everything gone perfectly and we had a fantastic interview “in the can,” we would have learned nothing. Instead, there were a great many takeaways.
One of my favorite go-to books is called, The Five Elements of Effective Thinking. Essentially, this is a book about creativity, something we all need to do better. One of the authors’ suggestions is to do something— anything— and then pick it apart and make improvements.
That’s exactly what Kelly and I did.
The interviewee was not the problem. She was magnificent. The problem was more that we set sail without a final destination and as anyone on the SS Minnow can tell you, that can only end badly.
But again, that’s okay.
Today, Kelly and I will try again. We have a second interview planned for 2 pm and this time, we are significantly smarter. Does that mean everything will go well? God, I hope not! It’s like the sign that used to hang in the Twitter headquarters’ cafeteria: “Let’s make new mistakes today!”
I will keep you informed as to our progress. But in between now and the time that we release our first podcast, let’s hope for new and better mistakes to be made on an ongoing basis. There is no finish line to learning. Therefore, I hope you screw up in new and spectacular ways every day.
Life is supposed to be unchartered. I know our next adventure will incorporate the lessons from the past and end up better than a three-hour tour. A three-hour tour.
