No Fear, No Failure: Five Principles for Sustaining Growth Through Innovation
Lorraine H. Marchand, with John Hanc
Columbia Business School Publishing (February 2026)

Innovation must be an ongoing process,  with day-to-day measurable impact, not an aspiration.

With all due respect to having a compelling vision, I agree with Thomas Edison: “Vision without execution is hallucination.” Not all growth is progress. Compound interest based on credit card debt, for example, or neglected decay of teeth and/or gums can create serious problems. Moreover, for most organizations as well as for most individuals, Pogo the Possum’s statement applies: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

The title of one of Marshall Goldsmith’s most recent books suggests that “what got you here won’t get you there.” I take that a step further: What got you here won’t even allow you to remain here, however and wherever “here” and “there” are defined.

With the assistance of  John Hanc, Lorraine Marchand created No Fear, No Failure in order to share — and explain — a framework for the implementation of new ideas and for creating an organizational culture that welcomes and encourages [positive and sustainable]  change.” It is no coincidence that most companies annually ranked among those most highly admired and best to work for are also ranked among those most profitable, with the greatest cap value in their industry segment.

However different they may be in most respects, all of these companies have a workplace culture within which personal growth and professional development are most likely to thrive.  What’s the key? There are several, and one of the most important, Marchand suggests, is the development of an innovation mindset, “which I define as insatiable curiosity, a passion for problem-solving, embracing [positive] change, and seeking diverse perspectives.”

In  No Fear, No Failure, she focuses on five separate but frequently interdependent concepts “that form the foundation for effective innovation to be used by organizations, from corporations to small companies and start-ups that want to make [continuous, high-impact] innovation a way of working and create a culture from which the organization can reap the benefits for years and years.”

Here are the concepts (i.e., the “Five C’s”):

1. Customer First
2. Cuktyure
3. Collaboration
4. Change
5. Chance

Each is discussed in the Introduction (Pages 12-14) and then throughout Marchand’s lively narrative.

Here are a few other passages I commend to your attention and consideration:

o The Four Faces of Organizational Innovation (Pages 14-16)
o What It Means to Put the Customer First (30-36)
o Champions of Change: Lessons from Fearless Founders and Enterprising Executives (36-39)
o Principle 1: Start by Defining the Problem, Not the Solution (54-58)
o Six Steps to Help You Define and Develop a Culture of Innovation in Your Organization (83-92)

o The Inside-Out Rules: How to Foster Internal Collaboration (115-119)
o Champions of Change: Lessons from  Fearless Founders and Entrepreneurial Executives (119-123)
o Unnovation: A Key to Corporate Success (153-161)
o Meaningful Innovation Starts with Good Ideas (166-174)
o The Four Faces of Organizational Innovation (180-182)

I also highly recommend Lorraine Marchand’s previously published book, The Innovation Mindset: Eight Essential Steps to Transform Any Industry, published by Columbia Business School Publishing (September 2022).

* * *

Here are two suggestions while you are reading No Fear, No Failure: First, highlight key passages. Also,  perhaps in a lined notebook kept near-at-hand,  record your comments, questions, and action steps (preferably with deadlines). Pay special attention to the end-0f-chapter links to supplemental (online) resources.

These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will expedite frequent reviews of key material later.