• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
Fortune Insiders

Proof Even the Best Employees Fail

By
Ryan Harwood
Ryan Harwood
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Ryan Harwood
Ryan Harwood
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 8, 2016, 7:00 PM ET
Crumpled balls of paper beside wastebasket
Photograph by Adam Gault via Getty Images

The Leadership Insider network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in business contribute answers to timely questions about careers and leadership. Today’s answer to the question: How do you embrace imperfection as part of professional development? is by Ryan Harwood, CEO of PureWow.

I believe that as a CEO, entrepreneur, or manager, embracing imperfection is necessary to growing a successful organization. At PureWow, we never get mad at making a mistake. We understand that our company is made up of people, not machines, and that human error is going to happen. Of course, when it comes to integrity, character, or trust — you can’t tolerate any breach, but with product errors, imperfection can actually help lead to perfection.

Create a human organization
By embracing imperfection, you humanize your employees. Equally important, you also humanize yourself. If your employees know that they will not be penalized for innocuous errors, then you have planted the seed towards open collaboration. That is why I never hesitate to talk about anything with my employees. For instance, if you want to tell me about your personal life, I’m all ears. Obviously there are things that are inappropriate, but if someone wants to know how my new baby is doing, I’m more than happy to share. CEOs are humans too, and need to build relationships with their employees so they don’t fear sharing mistakes with them.

See also: This Is What Happens When You Embrace Your Failures

Do it yourself (DIY)
At PureWow, we encourage people to do things on their own; take the bull by the horns. Give it your best effort first, and then we’ll assess the rest. I’d almost rather a team member do something outright wrong than do a mediocre job and float under the radar. Mistakes can always be corrected. We also encourage open feedback and dialogue. Share praise when its been earned, but also don’t be afraid to highlight mistakes so others can learn from them. Because there is nothing worse than making the same mistake twice.

Winery_Summer_OffSite

Don’t be fearful of conflict
Conflict is good — as long as it’s done in a professional way. You want people to disagree, and bring out the best in each other. In fact, I frequently disagree with my managers, but when we come together over a disagreement we actually find an even better solution. When you have a culture that embraces healthy conflict, mistakes are equally encouraged. Your employees aren’t afraid to give things a try because they know at very worst their mistake will open a discourse, which is never a bad thing.

Don’t be a super chicken
In one of my favorite TED Talks, Margaret Heffernan talks about an experiment in which chickens were bred for their most desirable qualities to make “Super Chickens.” They should have been a perfect brood, but instead they all killed each other. In the same respect, you don’t want each and every employee to be of a certain “perfect” mold, successful organizations need a variety of people who have different abilities and shortcomings. An employees imperfections in one role may indicate they would make an excellent fit for a different position. If you allow for your employees to be comfortable with failing — and trying new things — it will put them on the right track to the position in which they will yield their very best product.

About the Author
By Ryan Harwood
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

America’s emergency oil reserve is about to hit its lowest level since Reagan was in office
EnergyIran
America’s emergency oil reserve is about to hit its lowest level since Reagan was in office
By Jordan BlumJune 10, 2026
2 hours ago
Mortgage rates today, June 10, 2026
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, June 10, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 10, 2026
2 hours ago
Current refi mortgage rates report for June 10, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for June 10, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 10, 2026
2 hours ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 10, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 10, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 10, 2026
2 hours ago
A $7 billion horse race: Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley battle for ‘lead left’ position ahead of OpenAI and Anthropic IPOs
Startups & VentureFinance
A $7 billion horse race: Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley battle for ‘lead left’ position ahead of OpenAI and Anthropic IPOs
By Shawn TullyJune 10, 2026
2 hours ago
Visa’s CFO downplays the importance of stablecoin and agentic commerce to the U.S. payments giant—at least in the short term
Bankingdigital and mobile payments
Visa’s CFO downplays the importance of stablecoin and agentic commerce to the U.S. payments giant—at least in the short term
By Angelica AngJune 10, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
Asia
Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
By Kate O'Keeffe and BloombergJune 8, 2026
1 day ago
'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
Economy
'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
By Nick LichtenbergJune 9, 2026
16 hours ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
Success
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
By Preston ForeJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
Environment
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
By Sasha RogelbergJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 9, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 9, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 9, 2026
20 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 8, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.