Good Leaders Make Mistakes
As Leaders, we do our best to make good decisions because making good decisions, typically, leads to positive results. But, I would argue that making a bad, or wrong, decision is often as impactful as making the right decision. To be clear, I am not saying you should actively try to make a bad decision. But, just like in losing, sometimes we learn the most from our bad decisions, which we label as mistakes. Let me give you a small example:
Years ago, on a drive back home by myself with my then two young daughters, I packed a small snack for each of them. I was low on Goldfish snacks, so decided to give one the Goldfish, and the other Cheez-its. I thought this was a perfectly good solution, until about halfway home my 2 year old wanted my 3 year old’s Goldfish because she didn’t have any! And of course my 3 year old didn’t want to share! The last 30 minutes of that drive was quite possibly the longest 30 minutes of my life. Lesson learned: next time split the Goldfish. This was a simple mistake with a simple solution for next time.
To be successful, Leaders have to make decisions every day. Some are easy decisions, (like packing snacks) and some are harder. And without a doubt, sometimes the wrong decision is made. But this is what makes a good leader, because leaders inevitably know they will make mistakes, but they are not paralyzed by this fear. Fear causes us to hesitate, but good leaders must be decisive, confident, and make a decision based upon what they think is best at that time. Right or wrong, a leader is always moving forward. HOWEVER, when a leader makes a mistake, she acknowledges it, takes responsibility for it, and learns from it…and moves forward.
The path to success is not a clear path. It is a maze. It’s exciting, challenging, and sometimes frustrating. Sometimes the decision you make can lead you down the wrong path, but that is part of the journey. Mistakes are part of the journey. The fear of making a mistake will get you nowhere, and most certainly won’t get you through the maze! Leaders know that in order to learn and move forward, they must not fear making mistakes.
Every crossroad on the path is an opportunity for growth, and Leaders are willing to learn from good decisions and bad decisions alike. At the end of the day, growth is growth, no matter how it is learned. So do not let the fear of making a mistake stop you on your path to success. Just make sure to pack plenty of Goldfish.
Stay tuned for the next blog on MISTAKES, which will come from a special guest writer–my 10-year-old daughter!
