Why Fear of Failure Stalls Progress- and How Educators Can Build Psychological Safety

The Backstory

"Please just tell me what to write down." Tears were wetting the empty page in front of her, knuckles turning white from the death grip she had on her pencil. I sat down next her, looked into her eyes and gently explained, once more, that if I told her what to write down, it would be my story, not hers. She wasn't buying it. She was a perfectionist. She had a wonderful story idea, but she wouldn't write it down. She knew there was a right way to spell words and she was absolutely not going to apply "kid spelling." Fear was keeping her ideas off the page in front of her.

I teach all my students about "having a go" at spelling tough words by writing down the sounds you hear. "Tell your story first," I encourage them. "Get those wonderful ideas on your paper and we will figure out the spelling and punctuation later when we edit together." We celebrate the kids who take a risk and try to spell something like Tyrannosaurus rex or Knoxville, Tennessee. We compare their kid spelling to the correct spellings and celebrate their bravery for tackling words outside our spelling list and known phonics patterns. English is tricky, I promise them. Even grown up teachers do not know how to spell all the words we say and use. I misspell words regularly and that doesn't mean I'm not a good writer. It just means I like to use a lot of different words when I'm telling my stories or trying to understand new ideas.

The same student refused to estimate in math or hypothesize about a science experiment. She was absolutely unwilling to risk being wrong, even in a safe and supportive classroom where risk taking is celebrated and encouraged as a critical part of learning. It took months of watching her peers try, fail, and try again before she became comfortable with the processes of brainstorming, estimating, hypothesizing, and thinking outside the boundaries of the one absolute right answer where any alternative idea must necessarily be a wrong answer. It was a hard journey for her, and one she never fully embraced. She gave me her best effort, but risk was never easy - even when the stakes were low.

In public sector institutions, both educators and administrators often encounter individuals who are paralyzed by the fear of failure. While this is commonly observed in classrooms, the behavior has broader implications for policy implementation, innovation, and public engagement. The story of a student unable to “have a go” due to fear of imperfection is not only a poignant illustration of classroom dynamics but also an allegory for risk aversion in public administration. The reluctance to act without certainty can stifle creativity, delay necessary reforms, and hinder service delivery. This article extracts lessons from practitioner experiences in education and applies them to the development of public service professionals, with an emphasis on cultivating a culture of psychological safety, iterative learning, and calculated risk-taking.

Practitioner Insights and Best Practices

The story of the perfectionist student highlights a widespread challenge: an environment or internal disposition that discourages risk. In the public sector, this can manifest in employees or departments that avoid innovation, fearing criticism or failure. Psychological safety—a term coined by Amy Edmondson (1999)—is a foundational component in addressing this issue. It refers to a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. Creating psychologically safe environments is not only essential in classrooms but equally vital in government organizations, particularly those dealing with complex, ambiguous issues.

In the education sector, teachers often employ formative assessment techniques that focus on growth rather than correctness. According to the U.S. Department of Education (2021), these strategies provide learners with low-stakes opportunities to try, fail, and improve without punitive consequences. Translated into public service workplaces, this approach can take the form of pilot programs, sandbox policy initiatives, or red-teaming exercises, where employees are encouraged to explore creative solutions without fear of professional retribution.

For example, the City of Boston’s Office of New Urban Mechanics uses a prototyping methodology to test new ideas in small, manageable ways before scaling them (Goldsmith and Kleiman 2017). Rather than waiting for a perfect plan, they prioritize iterative experimentation, allowing room for “kid spelling” in the policymaking process. This agile government model has led to successful initiatives in civic engagement and public safety, demonstrating that structured risk-taking can produce tangible benefits. The office’s success derives from a culture that values progress over perfection—directly echoing the classroom strategy of encouraging students to share ideas before worrying about correctness.

Another example comes from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which implemented the VA Innovators Network to empower frontline employees to propose and test new ideas. The Network provides funding, mentorship, and a formal process to iterate on solutions with end-user feedback. As of 2020, the initiative has supported over 500 projects, many of which have led to improved patient outcomes and operational efficiencies (VA Center for Innovation 2020). By creating an institutional structure that rewards experimentation, the VA has effectively addressed the perfectionism and fear of failure that can stifle innovation in large bureaucracies.

Lessons from the classroom also inform how leaders can coach their teams. In the story, the teacher sat beside the student, offering reassurance and reframing the task as a personal journey rather than a test. Public service leaders can adopt similar techniques by fostering open dialogue, modeling vulnerability, and recognizing effort as well as outcomes. According to research by the Partnership for Public Service (2022), managerial support and recognition are among the top predictors of employee engagement and innovation in government settings.

Importantly, risk tolerance must be bounded by accountability. Encouraging experimentation does not mean abandoning rigor. In both classrooms and public agencies, feedback loops are essential. In education, this is achieved through editing and peer review. In government, continuous evaluation, performance metrics, and stakeholder feedback ensure that even failed experiments contribute to institutional learning.

Key Takeaways

• Psychological safety is a prerequisite for innovation. Whether in classrooms or public offices, individuals need to feel safe to take risks. Leaders must create environments where mistakes are treated as learning opportunities rather than failures.

• Iterative development facilitates progress. Adopting agile methodologies, pilot programs, and prototypes allows public servants to test ideas with manageable risk, refining them based on feedback and results.

• Support structures empower risk-taking. Programs like the VA’s Innovators Network show that institutional backing—through funding, mentorship, and formal processes—can reduce barriers to innovation.

• Leadership behavior influences organizational culture. Just as the teacher modeled patience and encouragement, public sector leaders must demonstrate openness, empathy, and a willingness to learn publicly.

• Accountability and feedback sustain credibility. Innovation must be accompanied by mechanisms for evaluation and course correction. Transparency and data-driven assessments help build trust with stakeholders and constituents.

• Perfectionism can be detrimental to growth. The fear of being wrong can prevent individuals from contributing their best ideas. Public service professionals must learn to balance high standards with the need for action and adaptability.

References

1. Edmondson, Amy C. 1999. “Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams.” Administrative Science Quarterly 44 (2): 350–83. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999.

2. Goldsmith, Stephen, and Neil Kleiman. 2017. A New City O/S: The Power of Open, Collaborative, and Distributed Governance. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.

3. Partnership for Public Service. 2022. “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government®: Analysis and Rankings.” Washington, DC. https://bestplacestowork.org.

4. U.S. Department of Education. 2021. “Supporting Students Social, Emotional, and Academic Development.” Washington, DC. https://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2021-06/21-0138-ed-sea-guidance.pdf.

5. VA Center for Innovation. 2020. “VA Innovators Network Annual Report.” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. https://www.innovation.va.gov/annualreport2020.