The Echo Chamber of Failure: Why Our Post-Mortems Fall Flat
The hum of the fluorescent lights usually sets the stage, a low, persistent drone that seems to absorb all genuine thought. Today, though, it felt like a spotlight. My gaze drifted, as it often does in these gatherings, to the ceiling tiles – 25 of them across, 45 down. An endless grid, each one identical, each one telling me nothing new, much like the meeting about to unfold. We’d failed. Again. This time, a major product launch for Dr. Berg Nutritionals. The email subject line had called it a ‘retrospective’ – the corporate euphemism for ‘let’s figure out who to hang out to dry, but gently.’
This is the dance we do, isn’t it? The ritual begins with the usual pronouncements. “This is a safe space,” our Senior VP, Richard, began, his voice a practiced calm, as if reading from a script he’d used 15 times before. “We’re here to learn, not to blame.” And in that instant, a collective, silent sigh rippled through the room. Every person in that room knew the drill. The first one to truly, vulnerably expose a systemic flaw – not just a personal oversight – would be the one quietly, perhaps not immediately, but definitely, marked as ‘not a team player.’ I’ve seen it happen 5 times already this year alone. It’s a performative display, a political theatre where the narrative of failure is negotiated, shaped, and ultimately, delivered to protect the powerful while
