Make Mistakes (But Make the Right Kind )

We all make mistakes. I should know, I've made plenty.

Often these mistakes distill down to two types:

- errors of action;

- errors of inaction.

Errors of action are where something went wrong. A poor decision. Unintended consequences. Shifting tides. Too little information. Too little time. Too much ego.

Mistakes like this are normal. Expected. These are the bumps and bruises of forward motion. Of doing. Of improving. Move, make mistakes, learn, move again.

Errors of action we can analyse. Dissect. Learn from.

In contrast, errors of inaction are more insidious. Harder to spot. Harder to avoid. And more difficult to learn from. They are the things we forgot, missed, or ignored. They often come from lack of effort or attention. Decisions we should have taken which only become visible in the rear view mirror. They are often one-offs. We can extort ourselves to avoid them but, by their very nature, new situations will continue to blindside us.

Usually it is better to make mistakes because of action. To have done, but have been dammed. To have moved, even if in the wrong direction. I still carry the scars of numerous ‘errors of action’.

Only fools rush in, but it's often more foolish to standstill.

You can't lead without making mistakes, so choose which type of mistakes you'll live with.

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