Mark Graban

My Favorite Mistake: Learning Without Blame in Business and Leadership

Business EN ↓ 402 episodes

My Favorite Mistake is a podcast about learning without blame in business and leadership. Hosted by Mark Graban, the show features honest conversations with leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, and changemakers about a meaningful mistake they made—and what they learned after things went wrong. 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. This isn’t a podcast about failure theater, gotcha moments, or simplistic “lessons learned.” It explores how real people reflect, improve, and lead better in complex organizations...

Author

Mark Graban

Category

Business

Latest episode

Jul 6, 2026

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Episodes

Celebrating Errors: Ward Vuillemot on Psychological Safety and Learning From Mistakes 09.01.2023

Episode page with transcript, links, and more I WANT TO WRITE MY BOOK (ad) My guest for Episode #195 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Ward Vuillemot. Ward is a seasoned C-suite executive with over six years of experience leading fully remote teams while building technology organizations from the ground up for companies with 150 to 650 employees in size and $50M to $125M in revenue across the...

The Risks of Transparency: Dr. Richard Winters on Leadership, Trust, and Burnout 12.12.2022

Author of the book YOU’RE THE LEADER. NOW WHAT? Leadership Lessons from Mayo Clinic . Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #194 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Richard Winters, M.D. , an emergency physician at the Mayo Clinic. And he’s the author of YOU’RE THE LEADER. NOW WHAT? Leadership Lessons from Mayo Clinic . As director of Leadership Development for the M...

Why Being a “Proud Mistake Maker” Drives Business Success with Kurt Wilkin 05.12.2022

CEO of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital. Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #193 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Kurt Wilkin , a co-founder and CEO of HireBetter and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital . His bio says he's “coach, mentor, entrepreneur… and proud mistake-maker.” Prior to founding HireBetter, Kurt founded and led The Controlle...

A Forensic Interviewer’s Costliest Sales Assumption — Michael Reddington 28.11.2022

President of InQuasive, Inc. , Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #192 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Michael Reddington , an expert forensic interviewer and the President of InQuasive, Inc. , which provides businesses and leaders with the tools they need to improve their leadership by activating the truth in all of their business interactions. In his new boo...

The Emotional Toll of Mistakes and Resilience: Julia DiGangi on Pain, Growth, and Leadership 21.11.2022

Founder and CEO of NeuroHealth Partners, LLC . Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #191 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Julia DiGangi , the founder and CEO of NeuroHealth Partners, LLC . Dr. DiGangi holds a Ph. D. in psychology and has worked in the field of neuroscience. She has published extensively in the scientific literature. She is known for her engaging,...

From Self-Doubt to Success: How a Positivity Expert Don Sandel Launched his own Business 14.11.2022

Founder of GoPositiv Show notes, video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #190 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Don Sandel . He’s a former executive turned leadership coach and is the founder of GoPositiv . He’s been leading talent development efforts for small and large organizations for the last few decades and has transitioned those skills and experiences into GoPositiv and now to...

Sabrina Stocker on the Role of Mistakes in Business and on The Apprentice UK: Lessons from a PR Expert 07.11.2022

Finalist on The Apprentice UK Show notes, video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #189 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Sabrina Stocker , a tennis player turned entrepreneur, an international speaker, and a finalist for the BBC One show, The Apprentice . She’s founded multiple businesses, and she is now a publicist and the Founder of Two Comma PR – a Public Relations firm. She wants...

Simon T. Bailey on The Consequences of Honesty: Insights from a Former Disney Executive 31.10.2022

Keynote speaker, author, coach, and more Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #188 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Simon T. Bailey. He’s a keynote speaker, a success coach, an author, a television host, and philanthropist — he has worked with over 2,000 companies in 50 different countries. SUCCESS magazine calls Simon one of the top 25 people who will help you r...

Manufacturing Executive Martina Kuhlmeyer Had Too Many High-Priority Initiatives 23.10.2022

Founder of Power Up Your Team Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #187 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Martina Kuhlmeyer , the Founder of Power Up Your Team — and she’s the host of a podcast with that same name. As Leadership Coach and Team Building Strategist, she is guiding CEOs and Founders in high-growth companies to build a resilient team so they can scale...

Learning from Mistakes Early: John Grout on Mistake Proofing and Experimentation 16.10.2022

Professor, former business school dean, expert on mistake proofing Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #186 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is John Grout . He is the former dean of the Campbell School of Business at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. He’s the current Chair of the Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Data Analytics Department and the David C. Garrett Jr....

Dr. mOe Anderson Took a New Job Without Knowing Who the Employer Was 10.10.2022

Dentist, author, podcaster, speaker, and more Episode page with video, transcript, links, and more My guest for Episode #185 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Dr. Monica Anderson, a.ka. Dr. mOe. She is a dentist… she is and does many things… including bestselling author, podcast host, dynamic “mOe-tivational” speaker, cancer survivor, and leader of the non-profit, Drop The Drugs, Inc. She has...

CEO Bryan Clayton Thought Outsourcing Technology Development Would Be Better Than Building It 03.10.2022

CEO of GreenPal Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #184 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Bryan Clayton . He is the Co-Founder and CEO of GreenPal , an online marketplace that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals. GreenPal has been called the “Uber for lawn care” by Entrepreneur magazine and has over 300,000 active users completing thousands of...

Psychologist Kristin Neff Was a ”Mama Bear” in Defending Her Ph.D. Student and Had to Apologize 26.09.2022

Professor, author, and researcher on "self-compassion" My guest for Episode #183 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is psychologist Dr. Kristin Neff . Episode page with video, transcript, and more She is the author of the books Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, and the 2021 follow up book — Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their P...

Search Firm CEO Gene Rice: Youthful Ego and an Impulsive Decision Could Have Ruined Him 18.09.2022

Chairman and co-founder of Rice Cohen International Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #182 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Gene Rice , the Chairman and Co-Founder of Rice Cohen International . He's the co-author, with his daughter, of the book Grad to Grown-Up: 68 Tips to Excel in Your Personal and Professional Life . You can learn more at the book's website...

Thought She Needed to Have All the Answers as Manager: Pamela Kellert 11.09.2022

Strategic Leadership Expert Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #181 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Pamela Kellert . She helps female professionals in STEM sectors transition to senior management roles by learning strategic non-technical skills. Pamela is a seasoned Strategic Leadership Expert with over 16 year’s experience working in Strategy, Business Develo...

Tech Expert Dave Sobel ”Really Screwed Up” His First Company Acquisition 05.09.2022

Host of the Business of Tech podcast , and owner of MSP Radio Episode page with video, transcript and more My guest for Episode #180 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Dave Sobel . He’s the host of the Business of Tech podcast , and owner of MSP Radio . Dave is regarded as a leading expert in the delivery of technology services, with broad experience in both technology and business. He owned an...

West Point Graduate Becky Margiotta Thought She Would Get an A for Effort Instead of Managing Outcomes 28.08.2022

Cofounder and owner of The Billions Institute, LLC Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #179 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Becky Margiotta . She is the author of the book, Impact with Integrity: Repairing the World Without Breaking Yourself , a cofounder and owner of The Billions Institute, LLC , and the host of the Unleashing Social Change Podcast . In this e...

CEO Ian Small Was Told He ”Needs to Learn to Listen Better” 22.08.2022

CEO of Evernote Episode page with video, transcript, and more  My guest for Episode #178 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Ian Small, CEO at Evernote, the app that launched a personal productivity movement for knowledge workers around the world. Under Ian’s leadership (since 2018), Evernote found the courage to go back to basics, launching a new era of innovation for the company and building u...

Therapist Emily Learing’s Child Care Program Mistake Could Have Been Worse, Opened New Possibilities 15.08.2022

Mental Health Professional, Children's Book Author, and more My guest for Episode #177 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Emily Learing, LMFT, RPT-S . She is a mental health professional based in South Dakota, at her practice called Encompass Mental Health . Episode page with links, video, transcript, and more Emily has an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy and a BS in Human Development and Fami...

Canadian Journalist & Author Mike Ulmer Learned From a Conflict With a Colleague 08.08.2022

Publisher, book coach, and more. Episode page with video, transcript, and more . *** I WANT TO WRITE MY BOOK *** (AD) My guest for Episode #176 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Mike Ulmer . While he specializes in helping business people write their books, he has written 13 books with a total of nearly $1 million in total sales revenue. His latest book (March 2022) is Show and Tell Writing: A...

Marine LTC Janet Polach Lost Her Temper in a Corporate Meeting — It Was a Bad Fit 01.08.2022

Episode page with video, transcript and more My guest for Episode #175 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Janet L. Polach, Ph. D . She is a global leadership development partner and coach. She has developed leaders in the U.S. and around the world. As a retired lieutenant colonel having spent 20 years in the Marines, Janet knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a great leader. After rec...

Six Sigma Black Belt Jonathon Andell Gloated About Solving a Quality Problem 25.07.2022

Episode page - video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #174 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Jonathon Andell. He has been a quality professional since 1987, was one of the world’s first certified Six Sigma Black Belts in 1992, and has been a consultant since 1998, and a Fellow of the American Society for Quality since 2008. Among Jonathon’s global clients are leading firms in such di...

Teresa de Grosbois: Her Failed Africa Charity Opened Unexpected Doors 18.07.2022

Author of "Mass Influence" Episode page with episode, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #173 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Teresa de Grosbois . She is the Founder of the Evolutionary Business Council, an International Speaker and the #1 International Bestselling author of Mass Influence: The Habits of the Highly Influential , which is now a best seller in seven countries. You can d...

Learning from Business Mistakes: Jim McCann and the 1-800-FLOWERS Deal 10.07.2022

Founder / Chairman of 1-800-FLOWERS Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #172 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Jim McCann , the founder and chairman of 1-800-FLOWERS , one of the first companies to pioneer and popularize the use of both toll-free telephone numbers and Web sites to sell goods and services directly to consumers. Jim is a highly successful entrepren...

Executive Nick Jonsson Hid Behind a Façade of Success, Didn’t Ask for Help 04.07.2022

Author of Executive Loneliness Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #171 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Nick Jonsson , joining us from Singapore. CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains a brief mention of a death by suicide. If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. If you're having suicidal thoughts, call...

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