Nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes. The difference is that some people own their mistakes and admit them, whereas others do not. I’m a firm believer that to show accountability; everyone needs to own their mistakes. Whether it’s a little mistake or something catastrophic, we must accept the consequences of our actions. From the mundane to the monumental, decisions are made. Sometimes those decisions work out, whereas other times, they don’t. What matters most is when decisions don’t work as expected, we learn from them.
Lessons Learned
I’ve been leading and managing teams for almost 15 years now, and I’ll admit that I’ve made a lot of mistakes. There have been times in my career where I have said the wrong things and did the wrong things. I know that I’ve also been guilty of hiring the wrong people or sometimes even promoting people who are not quite ready to step up yet. While it’s unfortunate that I’ve made some of these mistakes, I own them. All I can do is learn from owning some of my own mistakes and apply that experience to next time to do better. That’s what it’s all about when it comes to owning mistakes, trying to be a better version of yourself the next time you’re confronted with a similar situation.
Why We Make Mistakes?
There are plenty of reasons why we make mistakes. Sometimes we’re lazy. Other times we haven’t done enough due diligence before deciding. There are times where we operate carelessly and recklessly. There are also times where we are caring too much, and that can cause problems as well. Look, I believe that most people operate with the best intentions. But sometimes, things go awry. Despite our best efforts, not everything is going to go to plan. When things don’t work out, it’s important to accept responsibility and accountability for the situation you may have had and learn from it to improve the next time around.
Final Thought
It can be uncomfortable to step outside your comfort zone and own your mistakes. While I advocate for people to be confident and striving to be bold, knowing what they know, and doing what they want to do in their zone of strength, I recognize how tough it can be to be humble and sometimes fall on your sword. It’s never easy to admit that you have lost or that you have made an error. But most mistakes made are fixable. For many of us, what we’re doing is not life or death. And it’s through mistakes made where the most significant lessons can be learned. Try new things, and if you fail or you screw up, that’s OK because the most significant benefit of making a mistake is learning something so that next time you could be better.
For a regular dose of advice, tips, and tricks, follow me or my podcast, The Chris Hanna Show on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more. Let’s connect.
