More about the session:
Listen to almost any business leader – and especially leaders of high-growth enterprises – discuss their company, and you’ll hear conversations around innovation, new products and markets, engaged employees, and their recent successes.

Indeed, every company and business team desires these elements and outcomes. But the paradox is that the very things we want most probably depend on something we want least of all – failure, the other ‘f‘ word.

In too many organizational cultures failure is a taboo topic. Most organizations and executives struggle with how to turn failure from a regret to a truly strategic resource that can accelerate innovation and anchor a culture of trust that unleashes genuine employee engagement.

John Danner teaches courses on entrepreneurship, innovation, strategy and leadership at Berkeley-Haas and Princeton, in addition to anchoring executive education programs through Berkeley, Yale and other universities around the world. He is the co-author of the current WSJ bestseller, Built for Growth (Harvard Business Review Press), about the personality characteristics of highly successful entrepreneurs. He consults widely to corporations, nonprofit organizations and government agencies; and is a frequent keynoter at industry and professional conferences globally.

Mark Coopersmith is an entrepreneur, author, educator, and former Fortune 500 executive. He teaches innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership to current and future leaders at Cal and around the world. He has built and run global businesses for Sony and Newell Rubbermaid, has launched and built successful Silicon Valley startups, and is a frequent keynote speaker and moderator. His entrepreneurship students and teams have launched more than 100 ventures globally. Many have failed, but more than a few have seen success as well.