STARTING & HOSTING A FAILURE CLUB


What are the requirements to run a Failure Club?
As the leader of a Failure Club pod, you will be responsible for gathering the group of 7-10 people who are committed to working at their project for a year.  Left on their own, people will easily and quickly give up on their dreams, so it is critical that you choose members who WANT to have *this* year be different than the past, and who are willing to hold the other members accountable for their projects!  You are also responsible for hosting a meeting every two weeks.  Between the meetings, it is important to keep up regular contact between members.  Ideally, we also would like to see periodic updates on projects from your group.  Privacy is of utmost importance, so please make sure you have permission from your members before sharing details of their projects.   
How do I bring together members?
Start with friends, family, co-workers, team mates, and other contacts who share a desire to achieve an inspiring goal this year.  It generally helps if there is some prior connection among member, because you start with a bit more comfort and openness among the members.  However, we specifically chose to demonstrate with the Failure Club show on Yahoo that the process itself will create deep and last bonds of friendship, so even if you bring together total strangers, your Failure Club can produce incredible results.  Each member must have their own projects (i.e. you don’t want to have two members working together on a specific project), and generally, the projects are widely varied.

You may also elect to open up to strangers. Consider posting your Failure Club Pod in craigslist, meetup, local coffee shops, the water cooler in your office, on your blog, etc.  If the response exceeds 8-10 people, they can always start another Pod.   

How are meetings structured?
The location can be a home or any private area where members will feel safe to share their inner fears without distractions.  Meetings typically last 2-3 hours, and if food or drinks will be served, we recommend that should be done before or after the meeting.  Confronting failure is hard, and participants will subconsciously seek distractions to avoid harsh realities, so the meetings must be set up to ensure a focused discussion on the topics for that week.  Members are highly encouraged to attend in person.  In rare cases, you may allow someone to phone in, if that is the only option, but it is noticeably less effective.

What do we discuss at meetings?
Meetings follow a fairly consistent structure that helps develop a predictable routine for members, where they feel safe in sharing.  
  1. Introduction and State Failure Club Goal: Every meeting starts with each person stating their name and their Failure Club goal.  This should be one sentence and take less than 15 seconds per person.  For example “My name is Meg and my Failure Club project is to perform a live stand-up comedy routine in front of 200 people, within a year.”  This is the single most important part of the meeting so make sure that each person gets it down (note that the first couple meetings will take much longer until the person finalizes their project)
  2. Circle Sharing: Next, you will go around the circle and let each member give an update on what they have accomplished over the last two weeks (since you last met).  They should focus on major hurdles or emotional challenges.  The person should be allowed to share with minimal interruptions, although other members can offer support when needed.  You should also ask about commitments from prior meetings for the sake of accountability (eg. "Lest meeting, you promised you would contact 3 venues about open mic nights, how did that go?").  Each person should have 15-20 minutes for sharing.  
  3. Group Wrap-up: After everyone has completed their turn, then there is a final opportunity for open sharing.  This should be 15-20 minutes total, and is an opportunity for members to share anything that they think is relevant for the group (versus their own specific project).  It is perfectly acceptable for only a couple members to talk during this period.


Over the course of the year, we will offer guidance on the general progression of discussions.  Obviously, each group will proceed at a different pace, so it will be your responsibility to make appropriate adjustments.  Here is a high level overview:
  • Month 1: The first 2-3 meetings will be focused on helping each member really nail down their project, because it is not comfortable to state a project that we expect to fail at.  Members tend to start out with goals that are too vague, or too easy, or do not really reflect a 'passion'  It is your responsibility to help guide the discussion so that each member can knockdown the traditional excuses and set themselves up to gain the most out of their Failure Club experience.
  • Month 2-3: Once the member has determined his/her project, it is critical to develop a plan for how to get there.  There are no hard and fast rules, since projects vary so greatly.  That said, the more detail, the better, and projects should be broken down to tasks that need to be accomplished each month, and even more granular where possible.  For example, Meg's project to do a stand-up comedy routine required her to a) attend classes to develop comedy material, b) attend open mic nights to get time 'on stage', c) meet with venues to start networking and reserve a night when she could perform. d) meet with professional comics to learn tricks and techniques, e) hire a coach to help overcome stage fright, etc etc. At each meeting, she would report on progress towards tangible mini-milstones (eg. next week is my first open mic night, or by the next meeting, I will bring 5 jokes and do a mini stand-up for the group)
  • Month 3-10: During these meetings, each member is making progress, and hitting big hurdles.  For most people, there is not a sense of urgency, because a year seems far away.  It is critical that the group continue to support each member in staying in action.  One key exercise during this period is to have members out sharing their projects with friends, family, work colleagues, etc.  The more we talk about what we are up to, the more accountable we become.  Everyone around us will come to expect us to deliver, and that external pressure will the members in action.  During this time, members will encounter many failures, as they push past their boundaries and comfort zone.  They are also finding out that their project probably involves tons of details and necessary steps that are not the glamorous thing they signed up for. Many members fall out of communication during this time frame, and one of your most important roles is to keep contact with members so they appreciate that what they are feeling and experiencing is not unique.  
  • Month 11-12: Crunch time comes when members start to realize that despite all their hard work, the probability of failure is still high.  For some, this is motivation to double their efforts in a last ditch push.  For others, they may be tempted to give up.  By now, there should be a strong bond among members and that is useful in continuing to push and prod each person towards their final objective.  You may increase the frequency of meetings, or schedule conference calls, or just check in more often.  The goal is to be as available as possible because this ‘home stretch’  is where the most learning happens. When members can give up their perception on what is realistic, and put in 110%, then magical results are possible.


Watching the weekly episodes of the Failure Club on Yahoo will serve as a guide for your pod.  We deliberately started about 6 weeks before the beginning of the year so that you could get a sense of how the meetings are handled.
How often will we meet?
Failure Club works on the principles of group accountability and deep trust.  Building and maintaining this safe space requires frequent meetings and conversations with the members.  The optimal structure is for all the members to meet in person every 2 weeks, and then use email, phone, and social media to interact between the meetings.  Members should be comfortable sending updates to the group, as well as reaching out to individuals who can help with specific challenges (eg. introductions, marketing or setting up a website)
How can I get support from Morgan and Philip?
Our goal all along has been to spread the Failure Club concept as broadly as possible, and we are committed to helping Failure Clubs flourish everywhere.  We are sharing the concepts through the Failure Club show on Yahoo, our website & blog at failureclub.org, and via facebook.com/failureclub.  We will be responding to common questions via those forums, so that everyone can benefit from the answers.  For very specific questions, we will attempt to respond as quickly as possible via email.  You can send your questions to info@failureclub.org.  We may also look into conference calls or webinars down the line.

Where do I register my Failure Club?
Visit pods.thefailureclub.org/register and fill out the registration application.  You should hear back within 7 days.