“You learn nothing when you’re right.”
Effective communication isn’t about having all the answers. As Astro Teller knows, it’s about finding, and sometimes fumbling, your way through the questions. As Captain of Moonshots at X, Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory, Teller embraces what he calls “a learning journey,” where being wrong isn’t the end, but an opportunity to discover something new. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Teller and Matt Abrahams discuss how embracing uncertainty drives innovation, why leaders should reward learning over outcomes, and why sometimes being wrong is the best way to learn.
Takeaways:
- Being wrong is where learning happens. Treating failure as useful information rather than something to avoid helps you stay curious, test assumptions, and discover better paths forward.
- Reward the habits that lead to innovation, not just the outcomes. Focusing on curiosity, humility, and experimentation creates space for people to take meaningful risks and pursue ideas that may not work the first time.
Activity:
- Find the failure faster. Choose one idea or project you’re confident about and identify the assumption most likely to prove you wrong. Design one small test that could challenge that assumption, then treat whatever you learn as progress.
Episode Reference Links:
Connect:
Chapters:
- (00:00) - Introduction
- (01:33) - Defining a Moonshot
- (03:35) - Building a Learning Mindset
- (06:15) - Learning vs. Productivity
- (07:50) - Sharing Learning Across Teams
- (10:04) - Rewarding Habits, Not Outcomes
- (12:32) - Destigmatizing Failure
- (15:12) - Moonshots in Action
- (18:51) - Storytelling for Understanding
- (20:11) - Using Analogies Effectively
- (22:15) - Fostering Creativity Through Play
- (25:20) - Hiring for a Moonshot Culture
- (27:57) - The Moonshot Podcast
- (29:44) - The Final Three Questions
- (34:19) - Conclusion
********
Thank you to our sponsors. These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.
Learn more about how Notion can support your business at notion.com/thinkfast.
Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.
