25/05/2026

MONDAY | MAY 25, 2026

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Let Gen Z learn to fail forward T HERE is a passage in John C. a permanent stain on your identity. Gen Z does not just fail, they feel like a failure. Second, Martin Seligman’s

practitioner for many years, I have seen the evolutionary progress in the management of safety and health in industries. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (Osha) 1994 transformed Malaysia’s workplace safety from a prescriptive, government-enforced system into a modern, self-regulatory framework. Before Osha 1994, legislation like the Factories and Machinery Act 1967 was highly prescriptive and limited to specific sectors like manufacturing and construction. Osha 1994 broadened the scope holistically to address both physical and psychological health hazards. This evolution shifted accountability squarely onto employers and employees, culminating in the comprehensive 2022 amendments that expanded coverage to nearly all enough mud to know that the taste of defeat is strangely nutritious. Yet, the more I looked around at the generation coming up behind me – Gen Z in particular – the less inspired I felt and the more worried I became. We are raising a cohort that is, by no fault of their own, dangerously unprepared for the very thing that makes life meaningful – the rough patch. I see it in classrooms, in entry level workplaces and in homes. Many young people today feel entitled, not to luxury but to smoothness. They feel entitled to a life without anxiety, without rejection letters and without that gut-punch of a failed exam or a broken friendship. And when the rock inevitably appears in the stream, they don’t flow around it, they stop. They are vulnerable, not because they are weak but because they have been denied the one thing that builds muscle, which is the struggle. To understand why Failing Forward is more relevant now than when it was published in 2000, we have to look at two psychological theories. First, Carol Dweck’s Fixed vs Growth Mindset. A fixed mindset says, “I failed the test, therefore, I am stupid”. A growth mindset says, “I failed the test; therefore I need a new strategy”. Social media has weaponised the fixed mindset. When every post is a curated highlight reel, a single failure feels like Maxwell’s Failing Forward that has haunted me since I first read it – not because it is complex but because it is painfully true. Maxwell writes that the difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure. For the average person, failure is a dead end. For the achiever, it is a detour. I finished that book inspired, not as a corporate guru, but as someone who has stumbled through

workplaces and mandated strict risk management. Currently, safety and health are being viewed through a broader lens, with many industries moving towards the implementation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices. This includes a stronger emphasis on the social dimension of ESG, where improving workplace safety and health systems has become a key requirement for ESG certification. The implementation of safety and health practices is now audited not only by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, the government authority responsible for ensuring Osha compliance, but also by external parties linked to ESG requirements. In essence, despite existing legislation and ongoing developments, many industries concept of learned helplessness. When young people are constantly shielded from discomfort by well meaning parents, by grade inflation and by the dopamine drip of TikTok, they learn that they cannot cope. They learn that distress is danger, rather than a signal to adapt. Maxwell argues the opposite: “The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.” To train the young, we must reverse the entropy of softness. We must teach them to fail forward. Here is a metaphor. A stream that runs through a flat, open field is tranquil. It is also boring and stagnant. But a waterwall, a cascade that crashes over jagged rocks, splits into foam and reforms in the pool below, is breathtaking. It is powerful. It is beautiful because of the constriction. The rock does not ruin the river. It makes the music that adds meaning to the river. So, how do we train our young to become waterwalls, not puddles? Using Failing Forward as our guide, here is a three-step prescription. 0 First: Separate the event from the identity This is the core of cognitive behavioural therapy. A young person fails a driving test. The old script says, “I’m a loser”. The new script, drawn from Maxwell, says, “I failed a driving test. That is an event, not a soul”. Parents and managers must police this language mercilessly. You are not allowed to say “I’m bad at math”. You say, “I haven’t cracked calculus yet ” . 0 Second: Reframe the “rock” as a “coach” Resilience is not the absence of pain; it is the interpretation of pain. When a Gen Z employee gets harsh

We are raising a cohort that is, by no fault of theirs, dangerously unprepared for the very thing that makes live meaningful - the rough patch. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

remain in a reactive rather than proactive stage when addressing safety and health concerns. It is time to raise standards and strengthen safety and health processes in industries through technological innovations that address risks in real time. This can be achieved through the AI-driven transformation of occupational safety and health (OSH) from a reactive system into one that is proactive and predictive. By integrating computer vision, IoT sensors and predictive analytics, industries, especially high-risk sectors like manufacturing and construction, can continuously monitor environments, detect hazards before incidents occur and protect workers from dangerous tasks. For example, AI-powered cameras can scan workspaces in real-time to ensure workers are wearing personal feedback, they often feel attacked. We need to train them to ask one question: What is this rock trying to teach me? In Failing Forward , Maxwell notes that every failure carries a seed of equivalent to benefit. If you lose a competition, you learn where your opponent is stronger. If you get fired, you learn what kind of culture you don’t fit into. Don’t remove the rock. Thank the rock. 0 Third: Engineer “safe” failure zones You cannot learn to swim in a boardroom. You learn in a pool. Schools and families need to create low-stakes environments where failing is not just allowed but celebrated. A weekly family dinner where everyone shares their “Failing Forward of the Week”, a mistake and the one thing they learned from it.

protective equipment and detect and flag unsafe behaviours like improper machinery operation or restricted-area breaches. AI-equipped wearables such as smart vests, helmets or wristbands track workers’ vital signs. They can detect early signs of physical fatigue, heat stress or heart rate anomalies to prevent sudden emergencies. To address these current realities, safety and health practitioners should be sent for training to upgrade themselves in AI technology. With AI-driven innovation in safety and health management, processes can become more horizontally integrated and departmentally owned. This is a shift from the current vertical system, where safety behaviour is largely driven through a top-down approach. In many organisations, the A classroom where the first draft is graded solely on effort, not accuracy. We must reward the attempt, not just the outcome. To the Boomers, Xers and Millennials reading this, stop saving them from the rocks. I know the instinct: You love them. You remember your own suffering and want to spare them. But a river that is dammed at every rapid never learns to dance; it becomes a swamp. The world is not getting easier. AI will disrupt their jobs, climate anxiety will weigh on their souls and politics will rage. They will need the spine of a mountaineer, not the fragility of a porcelain doll. So, hand them a copy of Failing Forward . Then step back. Let them trip. Let them scrape their knees. Let them feel the cold spray of the waterfall. Here is the truth you should

effectiveness of safety and health systems depends heavily on the commitment and seriousness of top management in enforcing the necessary processes and achieving the desired results. With this in mind, the Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue urges the government to facilitate industry-wide dialogue on enhancing and upgrading safety and health standards through the adoption of AI technology. The government should promote and incentivise the use of AI in workplaces to prevent accidents and strengthen workplace safety by shifting Malaysia’s safety and health culture from reactive to proactive and predictive. Ronald Benjamin Secretary remember: A smooth river leaves no memory but a river that crashes over rocks? That water splits into a million glittering droplets. And when the sunlight hits those droplets, a rainbow appears. That rainbow is resilience. It is beauty. It is the visible proof of struggle transformed into something breathtaking. You cannot get the rainbow without the rock. And you cannot raise a strong young person without letting them hit a few rocks along the way. Dr Bhavani Krishna Iyer holds a doctorate in English literature. Her professional background encompasses teaching, journalism and public relations. She is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in counselling. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

Time to shift safety practices from reactive to proactive BEING a human resources

Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue