Derrick Pledger on failure
From Ep. 105 - From Army Vet to Tech Executive w/Derrick Pledger · · Born or Made Podcast
“The folks that are the best at failure are also the most successful. Why? Because they tried things. They took risks... I teach my kids, if you're not failing at something every single day, you're not trying hard enough.”
On , Derrick Pledger, Chief Digital & Information Officer (CDIO) at MAXIMUS INC, spoke about failure during Ep. 105 - From Army Vet to Tech Executive w/Derrick Pledger on Born or Made Podcast.
About Derrick Pledger
Derrick Pledger, Chief Digital & Information Officer at Maximus, appeared on the "Border Made" podcast in April 2026. During the episode, Pledger discussed his background as a U.S. Army veteran and his views on failure. He described himself as "a byproduct of probably 10,000 failures and maybe another 5,000 rejections," stating that he is "committed" to continuing to fail. Pledger said he believes "the folks that are the best at failure are also the most successful" because they take risks, and he teaches his children that "if you're not failing at something every single day, you're not trying hard enough." Pledger also spoke about his belief in "radical change," saying it "always works out for the better for me." He commented on social media usage, noting that approximately five billion people spend an average of two and a half hours per day on social platforms, totaling 12.5 billion hours daily. He suggested that if some of that "collective brain power" were redirected, it could be used to address problems such as cancer or geopolitical issues.