In the class I recently took I learned of a teacher that required her students to do failure resumes. Sharply contrasting with the typical resumes full of hype, this one had students confess to their greatest failures in resume format. Today's question makes me wonder if a more interesting question might be what was the worst idea or invention you ever came up with? One that comes to mind is when I was a kid I planted some beans and sat on the steps waiting for them to sprout. A common theme in my worst ideas is a lack of patience. The opposite is true of my best ideas. In the late 80's and early 90's I began developing a relative database complete with menus and a multitude of reports. I continued to improve and develop the program for 10 years--each year the data becoming more complete and interesting. The database tracked the activity and revenues/expenses of events at a venue that included an arena, theater, and meeting rooms. One year I received an employee of the year award for the work. This gave me confidence in computer programming, the practical application of algebra and Boolean logic. Just as importantly, it taught me the gratification that accompanies meeting the needs of others. It taught me the critical importance of listening carefully to customers.
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