The students sat in a circle in the dingy basement room of a Brazilian public school, practicing drum rolls on their thighs, chairs and notebooks. Waiting. Then the world-class drummer Carlos Alberto Gomes, also known as “Bala,” entered the room. Reverent silence immediately filled the room. If not for the students’ tattoos, ragged shoes and Nirvana tee-shirts, one would have thought it was the Pope arriving at a convent.

In the world of drummers, Bala is like a “pope.” He has recorded more than 100 albums with Brazil’s most famous musicians and with many great Jazz musicians around the world. The group of 30 aspiring drummers who came for Bala’s two-week workshop knew they were in the presence of a master.

Bala set up his expensive drum set and gave a demonstration of his talents. He turned on his computer, selected a quick-tempo Jazz piece and piped the music through speakers. The drums had been left out of the recording so Bala could demonstrate his talent live.

As soon as he started playing, the students were awestruck. Bala’s 40 years of experience and hard work enabled him to play a very complicated piece of music with the ease of a Tiger Woods’ golf swing. With lightning-fast hands and improvisational creativity, he communicated the soul of the music to the soul of his students. They knew they were listening to the pinnacle of drumming talent.

Over the course of the first few days, however, Bala realized he had a problem. He wanted the students to play so he could see what they could do and where they needed help. He wanted to give them advice and tips. But the students were too nervous. When he asked for a volunteer, they all sat quietly in their chairs and looked at the floor. How could these rookie drummers possibly expose their meager talents to a man of such great talent? Not only that, they also feared the criticism of their fellow classmates.

Bala realized that his class would never benefit from the workshop unless he could help them relax. So he sat down in a chair — at their level — and told them to put fear aside. He empathized with them, saying that he fully understood the fear of performing in front of people. Then he said something I will never forget.

“The only way you will learn,” he said, “and the only way there will ever be musical innovation, is if you feel the freedom to fail. I will teach you and correct you, but I will not criticize you. So, here’s the deal: For the rest of our time together, I want this workshop to be a festival of good attempts. A festival of good attempts. Got it?”

“The only way there will ever be musical innovation, is if you feel the freedom to fail.”

His warm demeanor worked. A wave of freedom rolled into the classroom. Students quickly jumped up to take their turn at Bala’s drum set. When they made mistakes, they laughed and started over. The most advanced drummers tried new techniques. The least accomplished, who struggled to perform a simple beat, won praise from their peers. There was even a blind student who mustered the courage to play. Everyone learned.

The fear of failure had vanished. Judgment had disappeared. Bala had managed to turn his workshop in to a festival of good attempts. And as a result, innovation and learning flourished.

When it comes to work, even the most talented and knowledgeable people may be tempted to suppress new ideas and ways of doing business simply because they are afraid of making mistakes. No one wants to look like a fool; everyone dreads being reprimanded by a boss.

But if business leaders can follow Bala’s lead and create a judgment-free environment, they will see more workers stepping up to the drum set for a chance to play. There will be more innovation, more risk taking, and more learning. Some of the music might sound like a din, but that’s better than a silent room full of stifled and timid musicians.

• Are any of your people scared silent by the fear of judgment from bosses or peers?
• Have you ever been in that predicament yourself? If not, why not? so, what was the outcome?
• At the risk of pulling this from its context, what inferences can you draw from Matt. 19:13,14:

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

• What can you do to in the next 15 business days to foster a business culture like Bala’s “festival of good attempts?”