Learning to Fail Fast: Decision-Making Under Uncertainty with Angela McConville

<p><strong>How can leaders make better decisions when information is incomplete and circumstances keep changing?</strong></p><p>In this <strong>RiskMasters — The Download</strong>, <strong>Angela McConville</strong>, former Chief Executive of the <strong>National Childbirth Trust (NCT)</strong>, explores why organisational resilience depends on the ability to experiment, learn quickly and adapt without waiting for certainty.</p><p>Drawing on NCT&#39;s experience of transformation, Angela explains how the organisation adopted a <strong>test-and-learn approach</strong>, using small, low-cost experiments to explore opportunities before committing significant resources.</p><p>A particularly revealing example concerns an initiative that failed within just 10 to 15 days. Rather than treating the outcome as a setback, the leadership team celebrated what they had learned and moved on.</p><p>The distinction is important. <strong>Learning from failure does not mean accepting uncontrolled risk.</strong> It means creating opportunities to test assumptions, contain potential losses and make better-informed decisions.</p><p>For charities and other organisations operating under financial and operational pressure, this approach offers an alternative to lengthy transformation programmes that may struggle to keep pace with changing circumstances.</p><p><strong>In this extract:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Why leaders must become comfortable making decisions with imperfect information</p></li><li><p>How small experiments can reduce uncertainty before significant resources are committed</p></li><li><p>Why speed of learning can matter more than speed of execution</p></li><li><p>How celebrating contained failures can strengthen organisational culture</p></li><li><p>Why a test-and-learn mindset supports organisational resilience and continuous adaptation</p></li></ul><p>This extract comes from my <strong>CPD-accredited RiskMasters conversation with Angela McConville</strong>, <em>When Mission Meets Reality: Resilience and Leadership in a Transforming Charity</em>.</p><p>🎧 Listen to the full episode of <strong>RiskMasters</strong> for the complete conversation on charity leadership, organisational transformation, decision-making and resilience.</p>