Build a Better You Through Failure

This workshop will introduce participants to a "failure approach for success", which will enable them to meet challenges with a mindset that accepts failure and uses it as a learning process.

Abstract

Do you feel that fear of failure holds you back from what you'd rather be doing? Do you wonder how you might apply agile practices to improve your own life? Then join in this session to see how failure can lead to a better you.

We learn through failure and need to practice to improve. We make mistakes as we practice. Come here to learn how you can use deliberate practice to improve our skills, and to build in fun opportunities for us have better options. This workshop will introduce participants to a "failure approach for success", which will enable you to meet challenges with a playful mindset that accepts failure and uses it as a learning process.

From our first attempts to crawl, and to communicate we learn through failure. Failure got us to where we are now, and this workshop will help you understand the failure path that you have already used to be here now. You will be introduced to the "failure approach" along with a variety of tools, which you can use to help you understand how you can successfully "build a better you" in the future. Participants will explore their current state and learn how to modify the factors which influence their situation so that they can create a system to "build a better you" in the future.

Audience background

This is for anyone who comes with an open mind and would like to learn how to have a more playful approach to life.

Benefits of participating

In particular participants will have opportunities to:
Differentiate between rational and irrational expectations that our minds produce as roadblocks to our development
Articulate our fear of failure and how it holds us back, and what we can do to overcome this fear.
Use a 'failure approach' to address our fear of failure
Practice the failure approach to understand how it works
Develop failure approach options for future development

At the end of the session participants should be able to:
Start to recognise when fear is holding back their development
Understand the failure approach and how they can use it to "build a better you"

Materials provided

A handout of exercises as needed and anything else required beyond sticky notes and sharpies, which I assume you'll be able to provide.

Process

We'll use a combination of fun and engaging exercises as individuals, pairs, and as a group.

Detailed timetable

00-05 Introductions
05-15 Failure is normal.
15-20 Skills for improvement (3-mins)
20-25 Reflection and introspection
25-30 Leaving our comfort zone
30-35 Find playful approaches to fearful situations (3 minutes)
35-40 Reflection and introspection
40-45 Mindfulness builds resilience
45-50 A guided meditation (3-mins)
50-55 Reflection and introspection
55-60 Challenge your fears
60-65 Write an action plan (5-mins)
65-70 Reflection and introspection
70-75 Appreciations and summary

Outputs

A summary poster of the session.

History

I did a 20 minute presentation of this idea at Lean Agile Scotland in 2015. I have not done this as a workshop/tutorial before.

Presenters

1. Bruce Scharlau
   University of Aberdeen