Failure. That little word that can feel like a brick to the chest, but in truth, it’s more like a stepping stone—sometimes wobbly, sometimes bumpy, but always necessary for growth.
Bundle Up, Show Up: Why Iteration, Not Perfection, Is the Real Superpower
This morning hit different. The kind of spring day that tricks you into thinking it’s warm because the sun is out—but the breeze tells another story. I stepped out in shorts and a tank, still stuck in last week’s warmth. That breeze slapped me with a reminder: growth means knowing when to pivot, even when you’re already out the door.
So yeah, I’m cold. And yeah, I’m heading to Goodwill for a blue-tag hoodie. But this isn’t about weather. It’s about learning when to layer up—and more importantly, how to.
Years ago, Florida officials caught some flak for a campaign that encouraged jobseekers to develop efficacy by wearing “capability capes”—a metaphor that landed a little too literally.
It was easy to ridicule. Capes don’t solve unemployment or anxiety or stalled careers. Fair enough. But if I’m honest, we were onto something. Not with the costume, but with the conviction:
Our superpower isn’t something we earn. It’s something we uncover.
We don’t need to fly or dazzle. We just need the humility to iterate.
Here’s what I’ve learned: The danger doesn’t start when we say, “I don’t know.” That’s where the MAGIC begins.
The trouble comes when we decide we’ve got it all figured out—when we stop listening, stop asking, stop adapting. That mindset calcifies. It dulls our edge. And in work, in relationships, in our own sense of purpose, it leaves us frozen.
Iteration is the spirit of agility. Not just in project management, but in how we lead, how we show up, how we recover from days that didn’t go our way.
We can learn to bundle up. We can build routines and relationships that help us face the unexpected. But let’s not forget: the cape—the capability—is already with us. It just doesn’t always flutter in the wind.
So today I’m cold, sure. But I’m also awake. I’m reminded that learning doesn’t stop at adulthood or at the end of a certification course. Learning is messy. It’s awkward. It’s walking into Goodwill with your pride tucked under your arm, hoping they’ve got something in your size with a blue tag.
And that’s the beauty of it. Keep showing up. Keep bundling up. Keep asking questions.
The people who grow are the ones who don’t pretend they’re already there.
Let’s talk about a failure that shaped not just a product, but an entire discipline: the early days of the IBM PC keyboard. Spoiler alert: It wasn’t a grand success at first, but it taught us how to keep pushing until we find something better.
Sound familiar? That’s the spirit of agile delivery and coaching, wrapped up in one very iconic, clunky, and ultimately triumphant keyboard.
The IBM Keyboard: A Failure That Led to an Agile Revolution
Let’s set the scene. It’s 1981. IBM launches its personal computer, a new frontier in the world of computing. But something was off. The keyboard? Well, it was… let’s just say, a work in progress. The keys were stiff, the layout was awkward, and the entire experience felt like typing on a mechanical relic rather than an intuitive device. It was the quintessential “just barely good enough” moment. But guess what? It was enough.
Here’s the kicker: instead of hiding behind the imperfections, IBM’s engineers listened to feedback and improved. This was the birth of iterative improvement, a foundational principle of agile methodology. And what followed? A transformation not just in keyboards, but in product design as a whole.
The Rise of the Better Keyboard
The feedback was loud and clear. Users wanted more comfort, more responsiveness, and—let’s face it—less frustration. The result? Keyboards got better. Softer keys, smarter layouts, and designs built with user experience at the forefront. What we had here was the prototype for modern product development: a willingness to fail, adapt, and keep iterating until the product met the needs of its users.
This story is a testament to the importance of agile delivery: failing fast, learning quickly, and evolving constantly. It was the key to turning a failed first version into a lasting legacy.
The Power of “Failure” – Not What You Think
Let’s circle back to failure. The word itself comes from the Latin “fallere,” which means “to stumble” or “to fall.” In other words, failure is an obstacle—a temporary moment in time, not a reflection of your abilities.
It’s not an indictment of who you are. It’s the stumble before you rise, the moment you pick yourself up, dust off, and try again.
In this light, failure isn’t a shameful thing. It’s part of the process. Just like the IBM keyboard, our failures show us where we need to improve. And, as it turns out, that’s exactly how we get wisdom.
What’s more, the word “champion” comes from the Latin “campio,” meaning “fighter” or “gladiator.”
Notice something?
There’s no mention of winning. It’s about the perseverance, the grit, and the willingness to face down adversity and keep fighting, regardless of the outcome.
Champions are made in the moments of struggle, not just at the finish line.
