Finland has a National Day of Failure.

Yes, seriously…and as a country we often compare ourselves to, is it an idea we should embrace?

For the past 10 years, October 13 is celebrated for failure, because (not unlike New Zealand?), screwing up is frowned upon by Finnish society.

It was started by university students who felt the country’s natural fear of inadequacy in founding new businesses was holding everyone back.

The organisers of the Day for Failure say making mistakes is normal and aids success rather than detracting from it.

Well-known people are invited to speak and explain their own setbacks and mockups, as well as what they’ve learned – as it acts as an inspiration to others.

Non-successes – be it a cooking catastrophe, mis-adventure or bankruptcy (among many options) are shared – with social media storytelling encouraged as well.

It is even suggested that October 13 is the perfect day to ask a crush on a date that you’ve never been brave enough to do so before.

A few years ago, for Callaghan Innovation, I interviewed 21 business leaders on their ‘Best Mistakes’. It was both humbling and revealing to understand the setbacks and learnings these people have made in their personal and professional lives.

The Finnish National Day of Failure is simply an expansion of ‘Best Mistakes’.

Should we, could we, (would we be brave enough) to adopt such a day in our calendar?

It would certainly be an interesting sponsorship vehicle for an organisation confident of its own ability to fail smartly!