We weren’t really sure how it would work, who would talk, what the talk would be, so we thought if we were going to make mistakes, we should keep them in our own backyard. Which was good, because that’s where we hosted the event.

Big thanks to everyone who came. There was Marc from Yum Share, Hannah Smith who set up Better World Books in the UK, Tracy from Ecomodo, Katherine from Do the Green Thing, Matt from Lake of Stars, Hannah from V, plus some friends like Lizzie, Paul Sims, Jude, Leah (who’s doing a really interesting PHD into failure)….

And an even bigger thanks to the three amazing speakers.

First up, the incredible legend that is Dan Jones from Amnesty International UK. Dan has been at Amnesty for over 20 years, and was an activist for the organisation before that. A little known fact is that his dad actually chaired the first ever group meeting at Amnesty back in 1960s with the founder Peter Benenson.

Dan was amazing. I had to twist his arm to come because he’s such a humble man, and I’m glad he did. As a principle, it doesn’t feel right to share the specifics of the stories on behalf of others. What happens on tour, stays on tour, right? Instead, I feel more comfortable sharing what I took from Dan’s (mis)adventures, as he witnessed Amnesty grow from a small group of passionate people, to the worldwide campaigning force it is today.

The thing that really stood out for me was that it was easier to make mistakes when there was less money around. Less money tends to mean less pressure to succeed. And less money also tends to mean less people looking over your shoulder. Dan talked honestly (and charmingly) through a whole succession of cock-ups, which in itself was reassuring, but the ones that he regretted the most were when money was lost. Money that was hard-raised. The failure to use money effectively often led to more rules and more caution for future initiatives, which although understandable, leads to a different kind of failure. A failure to take risks. It’s a real tough one, but you can see why large organisations are reluctant to make mistakes. I think there is also a lesson in there somewhere that sometimes getting that grant, external investment, or big pile of cash from a deceased uncle, might not always be as good as we think it is when we’re counting the pennies. Money changes things. And not always for the best.

Andrew Dick picked up the mantle and in his self-effacing manner spoke as candidly as anyone I’ve heard speak in a long time, making the distinction between systemic cock-ups and his own personal failings.

I’ll leave it to him to tell you himself about his personal failings, but what I picked up from the systemic angle, was the nature of organisational waste. Waste is the enemy, right? Especially, in today’s austere times. We need to cut waste out of the system. We need to make things more efficient. But a story Andrew told us pointed out that there can be no such thing as a project without wasteful elements. Whatever the auditors might say. Which reminded me that it took Picasso 80+ attempts to get to the final version of Guernica – which doesn’t mean the other 79 were wasted. They are as much part of the success of the final triumph as the final painting itself hanging in Madrid today.

Finally, Darren from Eco-Computer Systems took to the stage (well, bench really). I’ve never met Darren before but am now in total awe of his social enterprises (there are many!) and of his attitude to life, failure and everything.

Darren told the most wonderful story of his day, the day of the event. It was hilarious. It started with a cock-up, as he found himself at a pointless conference, with uninspiring speakers, thinking he could have been using his time better at the office. The brilliant thing was Darren did something about it. He left at lunch and he turned all that frustration into something altogether much better. He went for a walk. And he made things happen. He saw the Climate Change camp outside Parliament, went in (in his suit), struck up a conversation, and came out with a connection to recycle computers from a big university. He carried on walking. Saw the RSA. Went in. Met someone who said he could supply recycled computers to some artists that they’re working with. He kept going. Got round the corner from here and found some office recycling computers that he had never heard of before. And so it went on. He walked. And he made stuff happen.

Amazing. I love the idea that people create serendipity in their own favour.  And the notion that sometimes the people who are deeply frustrated with themselves for making silly decisions, put that energy into doing something different. And by doing something different, good stuff happens. There’s a lot we can learn from people like Darren. Not least the benefits of just getting up and going for a walk when stuff goes wrong.

All in all, it was an inspiring few hours. I only wish we had had more time. I think we’re going to do another one based on the feedback we got. Perhaps next time we’ll only have 2 speakers, so we can dig into their stories a bit more. And maybe an interviewer to try and extract a few choice quotes from our speakers. And I’ll definitely not make the mistake of failing to introduce everyone who was there at the start of the night. My fail!

Tags: amnesty, cocktails, ecocomputers, social enterprise, timebank