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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
Mistakes
Psychological Safety
Entrepreneurship
Emotional Intelligence
Personal Growth
Mentorship
Chronic Pain
Mistakes In Business
Cybersecurity
Coaching
Artificial Intelligence
Aviation Safety
Resilience
Business Growth
Sports Psychology
Workplace Culture
Curiosity
Learning From Mistakes
Mental Coaching

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 weeklyEpisodes401Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ManagementBusinessEntrepreneurship

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

Latest Episodes

To save a few thousand dollars in legal fees, six-time Silicon Valley CEO Mike Grossman decided to act as his own lawyer on a routine distribution contract. Years later, when Dun & Bradstreet moved to acquire his company, he reread that contract and ... more

YouTube

Kate Lowry was fresh out of college and working at McKinsey when she saw a colleague do something she believed was seriously wrong -- something that could constitute blackmail, with another employee's ability to stay in the country hanging in the bal... more

YouTube

Eric Ries had a 40-page business plan. An Excel model so complicated it would crash Excel. A team of elite students, real investors, and a working product. What he didn't have was a strategy -- and he didn't realize it until after the startup collaps... more

YouTube

Joe Hennes runs Tough Pigs, the premier Muppet fan site, and for years he also worked at Sesame Workshop -- the dream company he had been writing about since 2006. In this conversation, Joe is unusually candid about what it actually costs to merge fa... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Mike Grossman
Six-time Silicon Valley CEO; author of Failure Is an Option, Reflections of a Silicon Valley CEO
Episode: The Lawyer Mistake That Nearly Killed a Deal: CEO Mike Grossman
Kate Lowry
CEO coach, venture capitalist, author of Unbreakable
CEO coach; venture capitalist
Episode: Why Speaking Up Backfired Early in Her Career -- with Kate Lowry
Eric Ries
Author of The Lean Startup; founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange; co-founder of the AI Research Lab answer.ai
Author; Entrepreneur
Episode: A 40-Page Business Plan Is Not a Strategy -- Eric Ries on His First Startup, Incorruptible, and What "Best Practices" Get Wrong
Joe Hennes
Co-owner and editor-in-chief of ToughPigs.com
Tough Pigs
Episode: Getting Too Close to What You Love: Joe Hennes (Tough Pigs) on Working at Sesame Workshop
Deborah Coviello
The drop-in CEO, author and consultant
Drop-in CEO/The CEO's Compass/The New CEO Playbook
Episode: Stop Chasing Results, Start Pursuing Peace of Mind - with Deborah Coviello
Jesse Jackson
Veteran podcast host and interviewer; host of Set Lusting Bruce
Set Lusting Bruce / JKL Media Podcast
Episode: Going Gun-Shy as a New Leader: Jesse Jackson on "We Tried That, It Didn't Work"
Melisa Buie
Operational excellence leader in semiconductor industry; author
Speaker and author
Episode: Processing Failure Without the Funk -- Dr. Melisa Buie
Joel Steele
Entrepreneur, financial expert, author of Life Switch
Episode: Why Chasing Growth Over Profit Cost This Founder $800K -- with Joel Steele
Irna Hutabarat Athans
Innovation strategist, author, speaker
Episode: Why Walking Away from Tech Was the Wrong Move -- with Irna Hutabarat Athans

Host

Mark Graban
Host of the show, author and Lean-management advocate; leads conversations with guests about meaningful mistakes and leadership lessons.

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 States5 months 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 States2 years 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 States2 years 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.

Listeners appreciate the candid, non-blaming approach to mistakes and the depth of the conversations.
Guests come from diverse industries and share practical, actionable lessons.
The show helps leaders reflect, improve, and foster psychological safety in their teams.
The host asks thoughtful questions and keeps the dialogue engaging and insightful.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#127
Chile/Business/Management

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Why Speaking Up Backfired Early in Her Career -- with Kate Lowry
Q: What's your favorite mistake?
Mark asks Kate about experiences early in her career; Kate discusses realizing workplaces aren't designed to benefit her and the importance of recognizing systemic dynamics over blaming individuals.
The Lawyer Mistake That Nearly Killed a Deal: CEO Mike Grossman
Q: Mike, what's your favorite mistake?
He recounts reading a contract with Experian in a way that could be interpreted to block a sale, ignored warnings from his mentor, and narrowly avoided a deal-killing misinterpretation. The incident highlighted the value of external counsel and timely risk mitigation.
A 40-Page Business Plan Is Not a Strategy -- Eric Ries on His First Startup, Incorruptible, and What "Best Practices" Get Wrong
Q: Eric, what would you say is your favorite mistake?
The favorite mistake grew out of my first startup in college; the real lessons came from recognizing that we didn't know what it meant to run a startup, even when we had a solid product, and that misalignment between product efforts and a true startup mindset was the root of failure.
Choosing Engineering When I Was Wired for People (Angie Callen)
Q: What's your favorite mistake and why?
Angie describes choosing engineering as a mistake that ultimately set the stage for later growth, as it revealed strengths in collaboration, people skills, and the potential to blend technical work with meaningful, people-centered outcomes.
Confusing Performance with Alignment — A Leadership Mistake That Causes Burnout, with Genevieve Skory
Q: What's your favorite mistake?
My favorite and most impactful mistake was confusing performance for alignment.

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?

A leadership-oriented show focused on real-world mistakes and the lessons learned from them, with a systems-thinking lens rooted in Lean management and psychological safety. Episodes feature executives, entrepreneurs, and experts who candidly discuss what went wrong, how they responded, and how they improved—highlighting culture, decision-making, and sustainable leadership. Noteworthy are the practical, non-blaming approaches and the emphasis on learning within complex organizations, making it valuable for leaders aiming to foster healthier teams and resilient cultures across industries.

A standout aspect is the consistent frame of learning without blame, which helps listeners translate stories into actionable improvements in their own org... more

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1. Hard Fork
2. Coaching for Leaders
3. Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and Beyond
4. A Bit of Optimism
5. Freakonomics Radio

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this podcast launched 6 years ago and published 401 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. Mike Grossman
2. Kate Lowry
3. Eric Ries
4. Joe Hennes
5. Deborah Coviello
6. Jesse Jackson
7. Melisa Buie
8. Joel Steele

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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