About the Episode
About the Episode:
Seth and Mallory candidly share some of their most memorable professional failures and the invaluable lessons they learned from them. From a pricey launch party oversight to a marketing and enrollment coordination mishap, they discuss how these blunders have shaped their approach to work and leadership. Tune in for an honest and humorous look at how embracing and learning from mistakes can lead to growth and success.
Key Takeaways:
- Origami Challenge: Seth's personal journey to fold 1,000 paper cranes as a symbol of hope and self-reflection.
- Failing Forward: Acknowledging that failures are essential for growth and improvement in any career.
- Overspending Lesson: Mallory’s costly mistake at an AMA launch party highlights the importance of setting clear limits and planning for contingencies.
- Under-Communication: Seth’s marketing campaign blunder at a previous job underscores the necessity of coordinating with all relevant teams.
- Over-Communication: A misstep in over-communicating an idea at UCLA teaches the value of listening and understanding before presenting new concepts.
- Website Redesign Woes: Mallory's recent challenge with Enrollify's website relaunch emphasizes the importance of thorough planning and proper execution.
Episode Summary
Owning Up to Flubs: Why Failure Matters
Mallory and Seth kick off the episode by admitting their hesitations about revisiting failures. However, they agree that openly discussing missteps can help others learn and grow. Whether it’s launching a website without proper coordination or underestimating the impact of event spending, each story offers valuable takeaways.
Story 1: Overspending on the Enrollify Launch Party
Mallory recounts hosting a wildly successful open bar event at AMA last year—so successful, in fact, that it ended with a five-figure bar tab. The mistake? Forgetting to set a spending limit or communicate budget constraints to the bar. While the event delivered huge buzz for Enrollify, the oversight highlighted the importance of proactive planning and ongoing ROI tracking for high-visibility initiatives.
Story 2: Under-Communicating in Marketing
Seth shares a costly mistake where he allocated significant marketing dollars during a high-demand season without confirming whether enrollment teams were staffed to handle the leads. The result? Overwhelmed teams and wasted marketing efforts. The lesson? Marketing success depends on cross-departmental collaboration and planning.
Story 3: Over-Communicating to the Wrong Audience
On the flip side, Seth also reflects on a meeting where he steamrolled a committee with an overly ambitious presentation, failing to listen or gauge what the group actually needed. The fallout—being removed from the committee—taught him to “seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
Story 4: Website Relaunch Without Stakeholder Buy-In
In what Seth describes as a "win that was actually a loss," he relays the story of launching a high-performing website redesign without involving key stakeholders in the process. While the redesign drove revenue, it damaged trust with other departments. Seth’s takeaway? True success requires bringing others along for the journey.
Story 5: Redirect Chaos in Enrollify’s Website Overhaul
Mallory shares a more recent failure: a glitch in the Enrollify website relaunch caused by incorrect redirects. Despite assurances that everything was ready, the oversight created additional work for her team and disrupted user experiences. This slip highlighted the importance of verifying critical elements yourself and asking the right questions early in the process.
A Final Word: Why Failing Forward Matters
This candid episode serves as a reminder that failure is a natural part of growth. The key is to reflect, learn, and apply those lessons moving forward. Mallory and Seth encourage listeners to share their own “flubs” and the insights they’ve gained. After all, the best leaders are those who turn mistakes into stepping stones.
Connect With Our Hosts:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea
Seth Odell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethodell/
https://twitter.com/sethodell
About The Enrollify Podcast Network: The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Some of our favorites include Generation AI and Confessions of a Higher Education Social Media Manager.
Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
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