The Innovation Show Why Failure Fuels Success with Manu Kapur | The Power of Productive Failure
Sep 10, 2025
Manu Kapur, author of *Productive Failure*, is a global thought leader in education innovation who transitioned from aspiring athlete to educator after an injury. In a captivating discussion, he argues that failure can be a catalyst for growth and creativity. Kapur highlights how structured experiences of failure enhance learning and innovation, and he introduces the psychology behind resilience and adaptation. Listeners will gain insights on transforming setbacks into learning opportunities, making this conversation invaluable for educators, leaders, and entrepreneurs.
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From Soccer Injury To New Career
- Manu Kapur's soccer career ended after an ACL rupture which forced him to pivot early in life.
- That breakdown led him to engineering, startups, and ultimately teaching, shaping his research path.
Thesis Failure That Taught Problem Framing
- Manu recounts an honors project where repeated failed methods deepened his understanding of the problem.
- His professor intentionally let him struggle until a computational solution became obvious and successful.
Why Good Lectures Often Fail
- Good lectures can create an illusion of learning while leaving students unable to apply concepts to novel problems.
- The problem is that novices don't 'see' deep structure the way experts do, so telling alone fails.
