Oops.

I have harped virtually all through this Blog on making mistakes. A 27-minute video made by the Communications Network showcases Susan Herr, president of PhilanthroMedia talking to Grant Olphant, president of the Pittsburgh Foundation in a conversation called 'What's the Upside of Failure?' It is worth a listen. Grant talks about specific 'mistakes' in his past and why saying "oops" is worthwhile.

Susan also mentioned a new article, Philanthropy and Mistakes:An untapped resource by Robert Giloth and Susan Gerwirtz of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

​It identified several types of common mistakes: 

1. the hubris of acting alone, taking on challenges beyond the scope of any one investor
   
2. 'groupthink'
   
3. losing focus and ignoring routine tasks
   
4. trial  and error mistakes
5. unintended consequences

The article also briefly describes a few case studies about foundation failures, one that discusses the "dangers of outcome measures".

Cheers to oops!

—Julia

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