Failing Forward: Why Mistakes Make Practices Better

Let’s be honest: in dentistry, we aim for perfection… but real life has other plans. Patients show up early (or not at all), crowns disappear into the void, and someone inevitably forgets to order the one material we always need on Thursdays.

Here’s the good news: your practice doesn’t get better by pretending everything went perfectly. It gets better when you talk about the things that didn’t. At The Brady Group, we’re big believers in the idea of “failing forward”—because sometimes your biggest “oops” moment becomes your best improvement.

Think of it like this: Failure isn’t the villain. Treating it like something to fear, hide, or punish is!

Why Failure Is Secretly Your Practice’s Best Friend

1. It Makes Your Team Feel Safe (Like… Actually Safe)

When nobody is afraid of being thrown under the production bus, people speak up faster.
“I made a mistake” becomes normal.
“Let’s fix this” becomes automatic.

It’s basically the opposite of the BCD (Blame, Complain, Deflect/Defend) Olympics.

2. It Sharpens Your Systems

Nothing reveals a broken system faster than… well… when it breaks.

A missed step, a forgotten lab case, or a negative google review can shine a spotlight on workflow issues you didn’t even know existed. Failure is like your practice’s built-in diagnostic tool!

3. It Aligns Everyone’s Expectations

Talking openly about mistakes helps the entire team understand:

• Standards and expectations

• Where gaps might exist

• How to tighten things up

Transparency = clarity.
Clarity = less chaos.
Less chaos = fewer meetings where everyone quietly wonders who messed up this time!

What “Failing Forward” Looks Like in Real Dental Life

The Missing Lab Case

Patient arrives.
You check the tray.
You check the box.
You check the other box.
You briefly consider checking the ceiling.

No lab case.

Instead of panicking (or quietly blaming “the lab”), the team uses the moment to tighten case-tracking and cross-verification so this never turns into a repeat performance.

Inventory Mishap

Running out of a key material mid-procedure is a humbling experience.
It’s also a very clear signal that the ordering system needs some love!

Failing forward here might mean better tracking and inventory systems, clearer ownership, or—radical idea—writing it down so it doesn’t live in someone’s head.

The Negative Patient Review

Ah yes—the one-star review that shows up at 9:47 p.m. and ruins your evening.

It’s tempting to dismiss it, defend it, or pretend it doesn’t exist. But failing forward means asking:

• Is there a pattern here?

• Was there a breakdown in communication or expectations?

• What could we do differently next time?

Often, a negative review reveals a blind spot the team couldn’t see from inside the practice. Addressing it—calmly and constructively—can lead to better communication, effective listening with the intent to understand and a noticeably better patient experience going forward.

Failures → Lessons → Better systems → Fewer headaches.

The Cultural Glow-Up You Get When You Embrace Failure

Stronger Patient Experience

Fewer errors.
Less scrambling.
More “Wow, this office is so organized.”

Patients love that!

Stronger Team Bond

Nothing connects a team faster than laughing through an, “Okay…so here’s what happened…” moment.
Vulnerability is bonding. If you have a culture that inhibits vulnerability and makes it difficult to admit when you're wrong, you don't have a team. You have a bunch of individuals in self-preservation mode. 

More Ownership, Less Excuses

When failure isn’t terrifying, people stop hiding things.
They start fixing things.
Leaders stop babysitting, and team members start owning their lane.

Everyone wins.

Leaders: You Go First

If you want your team to talk openly about mistakes, you go first. Period. This is non-negotiable leadership.

Let’s clear something up: vulnerability and humility do not make you weak. Avoiding them does. Nothing erodes trust faster than leaders who deflect blame, minimize missteps, or quietly hope no one noticed.

Owning your failures out loud is powerful. It’s human. It earns respect. And it gives your team permission to be honest, take responsibility, and improve—without fear. Strong leaders don’t pretend they’re flawless. They model what accountability actually looks like.

Share your own “Oops, that was definitely my fault” stories.
Not only does it normalize honesty—it instantly lowers tension in the room.
Your vulnerability becomes permission for everyone else to breathe again.

The Bottom Line: Failure Isn’t Fatal—It’s Fuel

A dental practice that hides mistakes stays stuck.
A practice that talks about mistakes grows.

The goal isn’t a full autopsy on every mistake. Great teams don’t get stuck analyzing failure—they take responsibility, make the correction, and move on. When the focus stays on ownership and forward momentum instead of finger-pointing, stress drops, systems improve, and trust grows. That’s how real progress happens.