Ah, the corporate experiment. You’ve seen it before — everyone gets excited, there’s a lot of planning, maybe even a special committee (because who doesn’t love those?), and then… poof! Like a disappointing Tinder date, it’s over before it begins. Success or failure declared, lessons ignored, and on to the next shiny thing.

Sound familiar? Let’s talk about why treating experiments like one-night stands is killing your innovation game.

The Walk of Shame: Your Current Approach

Here’s what typically happens in big companies:
- Launch a flashy pilot (with much fanfare)
- Cross arms and wait for results
- Declare victory or failure
- Never speak of it again
- Rinse and repeat

It’s the equivalent of swiping right on innovation without ever planning to call back. And just like in dating, this hit-and-run approach leaves you with nothing but regret and missed opportunities.

Why You’re Doing It Wrong

When you treat experiments like a Vegas wedding, you’re:
- Missing the juicy insights hiding in the “failures”
- Throwing away learning opportunities faster than yesterday’s leftovers
- Creating a culture where people fear anything less than perfect success
- Making decisions based on vibes instead of actual learning

Time to Define the Relationship (DTR) with Your Experiments

Here’s how to turn your experimental one-night stands into meaningful relationships:

1. Embrace the FAIL (First Attempt In Learning)
Instead of ghosting failed experiments, treat them like that friend who always tells you the uncomfortable truth. Sure, it might hurt, but you’ll be better for it.

2. Create a Safe Space for “What If?”
- Reward the questions, not just the answers
- Celebrate the weird findings
- Make it okay to say, “Well, that was unexpected…”
- Actually listen when someone says, “Here’s what we learned…”

3. Build Long-Term Commitment
Stop treating every experiment as if it needs to be an immediate success. Good relationships take time, and so does good learning:
- Track insights, not just outcomes
- Build on previous learnings
- Connect the dots between experiments
- Let teams explore the “huh, that’s interesting” moments

Making It Work: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Change Your Success Metrics
Old way: “Did it work? Yes/No”
New way: “What did we learn, and how can we use it?”

Step 2: Create Feedback Loops
- Regular insight-sharing sessions
- Cross-team learning opportunities
- Documentation that people will take the time to read
- Permission to say, “We were wrong, but here’s why that’s interesting…”

Step 3: Reward the Right Things
Stop giving gold stars for perfect execution. Start celebrating:
- Unexpected discoveries
- Quick pivots based on learning
- Teams that build on previous insights
- The courage to say, “This isn’t working, but here’s why…”

The Payoff: Why Committed Relationships Beat One-Night Stands

When you commit to long-term learning:
- You build institutional knowledge that compounds
- Teams get better at spotting patterns
- Innovation becomes systematic instead of accidental
- You stop repeating the same mistakes (looking at you, Project Phoenix v3.0)

Taking Action: From Casual to Committed

Are you ready to stop treating your experiments like disposable dates? Start here:

1. Pick your next experiment

2. Write down what you want to learn (not just what you want to prove)

3. Plan how you’ll capture insights, not just metrics

4. Schedule regular check-ins to discuss learnings

5. Use those learnings in your next experiment

6. Repeat (but this time with purpose)

The Bottom Line

Stop treating your experiments like one-night stands. They deserve better, and frankly, so do you. Build a culture of committed learning, where every experiment — successful or not — adds to your understanding and capabilities.

Remember: The goal isn’t to be right every time. It’s to get smarter every time you try something new. So stop swiping left on learning opportunities and start building relationships with your experiments that last longer than a PowerPoint presentation.

Your next experiment might not be “the one,” but it could teach you something valuable about yourself. And isn’t that what relationships are all about?