Broken Shark Tank: Experiential Leadership Through Failure
San Francisco, CDMX, and one groundbreaking idea: inspire global leaders using experiential leadership through failure. That’s how the collaboration between Benefit Cosmetics and The Failure Institute came alive during the Global Leadership Conference in Mexico City.
The beauty brand, owned by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), has always been agile and irreverent. It was seeking a disruptive, experiential leadership training for its 120+ C-suite leaders and global heads. The goal? Unlock fresh thinking and spark collaboration through fun, failure, and creativity.
How Experiential Leadership Through Failure Boosts Innovation
The Broken Shark Tank simulation was the centerpiece. This unique 1-hour workshop, followed by a 40-minute panel moderated by Pepe Villatoro, CEO and co-founder of The Failure Institute, flipped traditional formats. Instead of pitching winning ideas, leaders had to pitch products designed to fail epically.
Experiential leadership through failure creates a low-risk space to break molds and push creative boundaries. The session unleashed laughter and, unexpectedly, a surge of creativity. One team even presented a peculiar eyebrow prototype (photo attached), demonstrating how experiential leadership training can drive fearless innovation.
Inside the Broken Shark Tank Simulation
Imagine Shark Tank—but broken. That’s exactly what The Failure Institute and Benefit Cosmetics did. The workshop invited leaders to co-create epic failures. They used experiential leadership through failure to connect, reflect, and break away from perfectionism.
Pepe Villatoro summed it up perfectly: “We imagined and pitched products destined to fail, creating a playful space where authentic innovation flourished.”
Key Takeaways from the Failure-Based Exercise
What started as fun quickly evolved into deep reflection. Participants shared powerful insights:
- “It freed me from my perfectionism.”
- “We build on each other’s ideas.”
- “Having fun made creativity flow.”
- “So many useful ideas came out of it.”
- “We kept brainstorming long after the session ended.”
Experiential leadership through failure helps unlock collective creativity. It encourages leaders to experiment, fail, and learn in real time.
Why Experiential Leadership Is the Future
This custom-designed session targeted three key objectives:
- Foster a growth mindset and adaptability.
- Promote critical thinking around technology.
- Inspire co-creation of big, bold ideas.
Experiential leadership training offers regional leaders a unique chance to grow through reflection, collaboration, and play. It transforms failure into a strategic asset.
A Beauty Culture That Inspires the Unexpected
Born in San Francisco, Benefit Cosmetics stands for joy, authenticity, and rule-breaking with a wink. Participating in this experiential leadership through failure was a perfect match. It aligned with the brand’s DNA: rewriting the rules with humor and authenticity.
Pepe Villatoro reflected, “It was an absolute privilege to team up with a brand that sees fun and authenticity as keys to leadership.”
Special thanks to Nina, Jenn, David, Maria del Carmen, Laura, and Morgan for trusting The Failure Institute to unleash the human (and often failed) potential of your global talent.
EN 
ES