Continuing my thinking this week on failure and risk-taking as forms of professional development, here's a great video from Michael Eisner on the role of failures in creating successes. A few gems:

• Punishing failure is a way to encourage mediocrity. Fearful people do mediocre work.

• To increase your successes, you have to double your failure rate.

• Disney, taking a cue from The Gong Show, used to do brainstorming sessions where the worst ideas were "gonged." According to Eisner, it was a badge of honor to have your idea get the gong and the spirit of playfulness that surrounded the practice encouraged people to throw out their most outrageous and creative ideas.