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Artwork for My Favorite Mistake: Learning Without Blame in Business and Leadership

My Favorite Mistake: Learning Without Blame in Business and Leadership

Mark Graban
Leadership
Psychological Safety
Chronic Pain
Mistakes
Workplace Culture
Sports Psychology
Inclusion
Employee Well-Being
Emotional Intelligence
Mental Coaching
Flow Engineering
Mentorship
Diversity
Innovation
Self-Sabotage
AEQ Method
Table Tennis
Bullying In the Workplace
Overtraining
Physical Education

My Favorite Mistake is a podcast about learning without blame in business and leadership.

Despite the name, it’s not just my favorite mistake—it’s yours, it’s ours, and it’s what we can all learn from when things don’t go as planned.

Hosted by author and consultant Mark Graban, each episode features honest conversations with leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, and changemakers about a meaningful... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes382Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ManagementEntrepreneurshipBusiness

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Artwork for My Favorite Mistake: Learning Without Blame in Business and Leadership

Latest Episodes

After winning gold at the Winter Olympics, skier Breezy Johnson did what champions do — she jumped for joy.

And her medal fell off.

She later joked, “Don’t jump in them… I was jumping in excitement and it broke,” adding that it was “not, like, craz... more

YouTube

What happens when a leader realizes their approach caused real harm?

In this episode of My Favorite Mistake, U.S. Marine Corps officer and leadership mentor Olaolu Ogunyemi shares a defining moment early in his career—recognizing that his leadership... more

YouTube

Most of us pull up to a gas pump on autopilot—until something goes wrong.

In this Mistake of the Week, host Mark Graban looks at a real-world systems failure that affected hundreds of drivers across the Denver metro area. Due to an upstream error at... more

YouTube

Ray Zinn—longtime CEO of Micrel Semiconductor and the longest-serving CEO of a publicly traded company in Silicon Valley history—doesn’t believe the real problem is making mistakes.

He believes the real failure is repeating the same mistake without ... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Dr. Josh McConkey
An emergency physician, Air Force Reserve commander, and combat deployed medevac leader.
Episode: From Medicare Fraud to Military Leadership: Learning Accountability After a Career-Defining Mistake (Dr. Josh McConkey)
Andy Regal
A long-time media executive with an extraordinary career in television and digital journalism
Formerly with NBC News and The Wall Street Journal
Episode: Recovering from Workplace Bullying—and What Leaders Often Miss (Andy Regal)
Debra Clary
Leadership strategist, researcher, and executive coach with over 40 years of experience.
Episode: Why Curiosity Drives Better Leadership (Debra Clary)
Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller
Empathy and leadership expert, TEDx speaker, and author
Author of The Empathic Leader
Episode: From Toxic Culture to Empathic Leadership: Lessons in Empathy and Accountability (Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller)
Isao Yoshino
Former Toyota leader whose career inspired a book discussing leadership and learning.
Toyota
Episode: Looking Back: Katie Anderson & Isao Yoshino on Learning, Leadership, and Mistakes
Katie Anderson
Leadership coach and author of Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn.
KBJ Anderson
Episode: Looking Back: Katie Anderson & Isao Yoshino on Learning, Leadership, and Mistakes
Emily Aborn
Small business copywriter, speaker, and host of the podcast Small Business Casual.
Small Business Casual Podcast
Episode: From the Wrong Business to the Right Voice: Finding Purpose Through Mistakes (Emily Aborn)
Dr. Maya Ackerman
Professor, CEO, and AI Pioneer
WaveAI
Episode: When AI Tried to Do Too Much: Lessons on Creativity and Humble Technology — Maya Ackerman
William Harvey
Manufacturing executive and university professor
Episode: How a Leadership Mistake Taught William Harvey to Build Trust and Psychological Safety

Host

Mark Graban
Host of discussions focused on learning from mistakes in leadership and business, often through the lens of psychological safety and continuous improvement.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 53 ratings
  • My Favorite Mistake: Real Mistakes, Real Learning

    Mark Graban gets people to talk about real mistakes—not the polished "what I learned" stories, but the ones that actually stung.

    I shared mine: undercharging in my early consulting days because I was scared, even though I knew better. Mark asked smart questions that went beyond the obvious lesson into why accomplished people undervalue themselves and what that costs long-term.

    The show's not about shame or blame. It's about honest reflection and getting better at leadership and decision-making... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Amy Rasdal
    United States14 days ago
  • What a great conversation!

    Mark was a wonderful host! It was a well spent hour discussing aspects of leadership. He comfortably engaged me in a motivating conversation about my experience and the experience of the many leaders I have observed over my years. Joe Davis

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JoeDavis TGL
    United Statesa year ago
  • Enlightening and informative

    I first learned about this podcast when I was a guest. I've continued to listen to it regularly, however, because the guests are always interesting and unusual, and Mark does a great job of drawing them out. It's been an unexpected and delightful find to add "My Favorite Mistake" to my podcast library!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    KD Ellen
    United Statesa year ago
  • Thinking differently about failure!

    Loved listening to this podcast and being a guest! Failure and mistakes are part of life, and Mark Graban does a brilliant job at showing how valuable they can be to our life and careers. Super fun and thought provoking listen!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    jenheemstra
    United States2 years ago
  • Great podcast

    Mark is a great host who asked detailed questions. I highly recommend this podcast because who doesn't make mistakes?

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    222Shorty
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Reviews highlight the authenticity of discussions, making the content relevant and relatable for professionals in leadership roles.
Listeners value the diversity of guests and their experiences, finding inspiration in shared stories of resilience and growth.
Hosts candidly reflect on mistakes and emphasize personal growth and leadership development.
Engaging and thought-provoking conversations that emphasize learning over blame.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

From Medicare Fraud to Military Leadership: Learning Accountability After a Career-Defining Mistake (Dr. Josh McConkey)
Q: What can we do to be more resilient in those situations?
You have to empower people to make their own mistakes while providing guidance and support where necessary.
From Medicare Fraud to Military Leadership: Learning Accountability After a Career-Defining Mistake (Dr. Josh McConkey)
Q: What does courage look like in everyday leadership?
Courage is doing the right thing even in the face of negative consequences, while maintaining accountability and integrity.
From Medicare Fraud to Military Leadership: Learning Accountability After a Career-Defining Mistake (Dr. Josh McConkey)
Q: Have you gone into other business ventures where deeper due diligence was part of the approach?
Yes, he is more cautious now after experiencing a significant business failure and learning from it.
From Medicare Fraud to Military Leadership: Learning Accountability After a Career-Defining Mistake (Dr. Josh McConkey)
Q: What's your favorite mistake?
Dr. McConkey shares a painful business experience that led to significant financial loss due to a deceptive partner.
Why Curiosity Drives Better Leadership (Debra Clary)
Q: How did you learn that curiosity can be measured?
Through primary research, we found a direct correlation between leader curiosity and team performance outcomes.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The podcast focuses on learning from mistakes in business and leadership without assigning blame. Through honest conversations with various leaders and changemakers, the show highlights how meaningful errors serve as stepping stones for personal growth and organizational improvement. Guests share their stories of mistakes made, the lessons learned, and the insights gained on topics such as leadership dynamics, psychological safety, and decision-making processes. This distinctive approach fosters a culture where experiences are shared openly, supporting the belief that reflection and learning are essential for effective leadership and continuous improvement.

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How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 6 years ago and published 382 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Dr. Josh McConkey
2. Andy Regal
3. Debra Clary
4. Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller
5. Isao Yoshino
6. Katie Anderson
7. Emily Aborn
8. Dr. Maya Ackerman

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