Is it OK to be wrong sometimes?

As children we are hardwired to avoid being wrong at all costs. The dreaded teacher’s red pen (I think that’s stopped now), or the embarrassment of saying the wrong answer in front of everyone in class, meant we quickly learned that it was sometimes better to say nothing than to risk humiliation.

Many of us carry this conditioning into adulthood, meaning we continually avoid being wrong or making mistakes. This sometimes stops us from sharing our opinions and beliefs for fear of being challenged. Our beliefs in particular are not always based in fact, and are often learned from our upbringing - from parents, teachers and the society in which we’ve grown up.

How we frame the idea of being ‘wrong’ can make a world of difference though. Being open to the idea that we might not always get it right, and that it’s OK for someone else to have a different opinion or challenge us, can help us develop. By becoming open to new ideas and curious about other people’s views and perspectives, we can become better leaders.

In this VUCA world - Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous - we need to ask ourselves ‘what would be the benefit of being challenged?” This curious mindset can help leaders become more receptive to new ideas and concepts. This openness and willingness to listen and adapt to new information is far preferable to the old fashioned ‘top down, command and control’ attitude of senior leaders, which has no place in the modern workplace. This type of management leads to bad decision making and low morale among teams who feel their opinions are not listened to or valued.

Real leadership comes from opening up a debate, listening to the views of the team, and valuing their expertise - after all, there’s a reason why you hired them! True leaders are happy to accept that sometimes they may be wrong. They accept they don’t have all the answers, and they need a team of experts to help them reach the right decisions in a collaborative way.

Being open to this critical thinking and analysis is linked to the upper echelons of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning. The lower stages are to do with learning facts and information, while the upper levels of critical thinking are about applying knowledge and testing theories in new environments to further advance learning. By being open to other people’s opinions, and accepting that our beliefs about the world may be wrong and are open to challenge, we can learn and develop far more effectively. Unfortunately the hard-wired brain that fears being wrong can get in the way of this progressive way of thinking and leading.

True leaders demonstrate their abilities, not by telling people what to do, but by listening and opening up a debate. They might begin by outlining what the problem is, and where they feel the team needs to get to, then ask how do we get there? What do we need to watch out for? What does everyone else think? Have I missed anything? This approach is communicating for empowerment. When leaders feel confident and resilient, they are more open to this approach, and are not afraid to be ‘wrong’.