Rudi Bauer & Katharina Enßle
Fail fast. How embracing failure leads to innovation at ZEISS.
#1about 2 minutes
A personal story of discovering ZEISS's failure culture
A visit to the ZEISS museum revealed a unique approach to failure rooted in the company's scientific background.
#2about 2 minutes
How a scientific DNA fosters innovation and empowerment
The company's scientific heritage normalizes failure as part of the process, empowering teams to act without requiring years of presentations and approvals.
#3about 2 minutes
Building a safe space for teams to fail
Leadership focuses on improving processes rather than blaming individuals for mistakes, creating the psychological safety needed for teams to take risks.
#4about 6 minutes
Practical first steps for implementing a failure culture
Cultural change can begin with leaders openly discussing their own mistakes and should be viewed as a long-term investment rather than a short-term cost.
#5about 9 minutes
The 'Real Talk' format for authentic employer branding
The 'Real Talk' video series uses unscripted, authentic employee testimonials to showcase the company's culture and attract talent.
#6about 2 minutes
Differentiating between productive failure and poor performance
Leaders must distinguish between mistakes made through genuine effort and a lack of commitment, addressing the latter as a performance issue.
#7about 4 minutes
Balancing innovation with brand reputation and risk
Clear processes and quality gates are essential to prevent catastrophic failures, ensuring that the brand's value is protected while still allowing for experimentation.
#8about 1 minute
How new hires learn to embrace the failure culture
New employees are empowered from day one to propose ideas and find their own way, quickly immersing them in the company's culture of autonomy and experimentation.
Related jobs
Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.
Matching moments
03:26 MIN
Creating a culture that embraces learning from failure
Culture Starts With You: Rethinking Leadership in 2025
02:44 MIN
Fostering a culture of experimentation and learning from failure
From Words to Action: Advancing Inclusion Through Leadership
06:03 MIN
Building a productive failure and learning culture
Leading Through Stagility: Human Capital Trends That Redefine Work
06:05 MIN
Building a healthy culture of failure and learning
Leading Through Stagility: Human Capital Trends That Redefine Work
05:25 MIN
Why a healthy failure culture is essential for agility
Employee Happiness: The Underrated Growth Engine
03:34 MIN
The future of employer branding with AI and courage
From Inside Out: Aligning Culture with Employer Branding
05:32 MIN
Cultivating a mindset for growth and resilience
Business Strategies for Scaling European Tech
04:30 MIN
Comparing the culture of failure in Europe vs the US
Beyond Authority: Why Great Leaders Never Stop Growing
Featured Partners
Related Videos
28:24Creating healthy high performing organizations - the missing link
Eva Maria Weidner
34:53From Inside Out: Aligning Culture with Employer Branding
Rudi Bauer & Mihaela Nedelcu
29:331000 things we tried for new work. Here are the results.
Niklas Wiesauer
24:24When Vision Becomes Legacy: Generational Change in Family Businesses
Johanna Heise & Rudi Bauer
17:15From Buzzwords to Action: Forget the Posters – How Culture Dive Makes Values Stick and Teams Thrive!
Laura Dückers
21:39Unveiling the Dark Side: Navigating the Pitfalls of Digital Ambitions
Johannes Hansen
29:26Empowering Thousands of Developers: Our Journey to an Internal Developer Platform
Bastian Heilemann & Bruno Margula
38:36Employer Branding: Telling Stories That Matter
Rudi Bauer & Tatjana Obenaus
Related Articles
View all articles
.png?w=240&auto=compress,format)
From learning to earning
Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.
ZEISS Group
ZEISS Group
Nesseaue, Germany