How mistakes can help us move forward
Rachel Botsman
Leading expert on trust in the modern world. Author of WHAT’S MINE IS YOURS, WHO CAN YOU TRUST? And HOW TO TRUST & BE TRUSTED, writer and curator of the popular newsletter RETHINK.
The last time you got something seriously wrong, what did you learn from it? Maybe you hired the wrong person who turned out to be a real doozy or invested in the wrong project. Did it help you make a better decision the next time?
I’ve been thinking a lot about the satisfaction of being right and the discomfort of being wrong. I’ve lived my life with the deep belief that there are more possibilities to expand our capacity for empathy and learning in being wrong than being right.?
Creating a culture where you can learn from serious mistakes, is something that stuck in my mind after my conversation with Nicolai Tangen , CEO of the Norwegian Oil Fund.
Being productively wrong
Being wrong can be disorientating. A natural response is embarrassment, shame and even anger. It requires effort to resist or pull away from these emotional reactions.? It requires a counterforce of courage and curiosity. But errors in our thinking reveal what we look for in the world, in other people, and even in how our mind works.?
Being wrong creates friction, which creates energy, which when used in the right way, can generate movement. So, how can mistakes help move us forward??
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Putting it into practice
Being wrong is a topic that deeply fascinates me and that I’ve read a lot of books about. Here are a few of the lessons I’ve learned from them about being wrong:
I’d love to hear about what you or your team has learned from being wrong. How have you recovered? How did you choose differently next time?
Warmly,
CEO of Furniturefy and ESOLS | Trusted by Over 100 Brands Worldwide | Empowering Businesses to Achieve 10x Growth | Driving 70% More Traffic and Doubling Conversion Rates for Businesses Across Industries
4 个月Rachel Botsman Mistakes are inevitable, but the real growth happens when we create environments where they’re seen as opportunities to learn and improve.
Security BDM Emt Technology Distribution - ESG Qualified Leader since 2006 Career spanning 36 years across the IT Supply Chain Catalyst: "Try again, Fail again, Try again, Fail Better" (Beckett)
4 个月Live this every day and had to recalibrate just on Saturday as I was in a "Must be right" conflict.
Senior Cardiac & Vascular Radiographer at UnitingCare Health
4 个月I made a mistake recently that could have had life ending consequences. Worse still I didn’t realise until I was called out by my colleague. They were frustrated because the same thing had happened with somebody else the week before. We discussed the problem and resolved to improve our communication which was the primary contributing factor. It highlighted the fact that everybody makes mistakes, even the most experienced competent people. Courage and curiosity are required to move forward! ??
Voice-over Artist, Cybersecurity, Healthcare, Administration, Project Manager, Writer, Philosopher, Content writer, IT, Adventurer &Visionary copywriter
4 个月Accepting being wrong makes people respect you more, they will understand you are the type that accept your error and is willing to make amends for growth and productivity hence you are the type that will do a great job. Mistakes make us better. Nice piece Rachel Botsman
Editorial Product Manager at National World plc.
4 个月Exactly. Where's the fun in getting everything right and making the right call on anything people ask you... I can't recall any relevant examples of being wrong for my comment - but oh there will be some! - but my point is, getting a task or a decision wrong, it, and then reviewing the incident can help to sharply clarify: what your role is and isn't, what your priorities should be and whether those things have changed since you last considered them.