We all do it. We make mistakes every day; some big mistakes and some minor ones. It’s part of life. Do you know that if you Google “learning from failure”, you will get about 129 million results? So you are not alone. We can’t avoid our missteps but we can learn from them.
One of the biggest mistakes I made in my career is now the subject of a popular keynote presentation and workshop that I offer, The Anatomy of a Blindside. My belief that my track record and performance alone would get me promoted resulted in me being passed over for a promotion I thought I deserved. My failure was to understand the politics and build relationships in the organization with key stakeholders, decision makers. The lessons I learned from this now help other professional women avoid the landmines and successfully navigate the reality of the workplace.
Today’s work requires a new leadership paradigm. Vulnerability is now considered a core competency for leadership. We all make mistakes. No one can possibly know everything and admitting we don’t have all the answers; admitting that we make mistakes is now considered a strength for today’s leadership. Admitting our vulnerability inspires others especially when we share our mistakes and the lessons we have learned.
Think about some of the mistakes you have made in your career. How did you react? Did you learn lessons that you were able to apply later on?
I would love to hear from you. What are some of the lessons you have learned along the way?
Recent Comments