Fish metaphors

"You learn more from the fish you lose than from the ones you land." I've said this about steelhead fishing. Getting one to the bank is rewarding, but there's nothing like the sting of a fish lost due to a poorly set hook, a weak knot, slack line, or some other form of sloppy fishing. The sting is what cements the learning. I often learn lessons like this "the hard way," and the lessons stick.

I'm reading Roger Harrison's book, Consultant's Journey, and a line from that book reminds me of this fishing truth. The line is this one:

I remember hearing that one of the significant findings of Robert Blake and Jane Mouton's work on intergroup competetion is that losing groups learn more than do winners (55).

If the goal is catching fish, then getting one to the bank and to the table is a rewarding experience. If the goal is learning, then losing a fish has more lasting impressions. What implications might this have for organizations?