The Nobility of Being Wrong

This blog post was inspired by Todd Henry's latest Accidental Creative podcast episode. He was interviewing Adam Steltzner, author of the bookThe Right Kind of Crazy.

Adam discusses briefly the purpose of the leader of an organization, and that they are burdened with serving the team. What specific burdens does a 'serving leader' take on?

- the fortitude to say wrong things,

- the craziness to lay out an unknown path forward without knowing how to get there,

- the vulnerability of leaning on others to help you discover the way forward, and

- the bravery to change your mind, and the company, in the middle of moving forward.

Notice the words I used above. I talk about being wrong, being crazy, vulnerability and the need for bravery. And what often stops the 'serving leader' from accomplishing any of these things above?

Fear. At any point, fear can pop up and say 'no, do not walk another step.'

If you are a 'serving leader' and are doing these things, then you are allowed to be wrong. Others want to be right, but the heavy burden of the leader is to be wrong. This is a noble pursuit, and one that is not given to others in the organization.