Over the years, I’ve crossed paths with a number of people who can’t admit it when they’ve made a mistake. Instead of owning up to their mistake and taking responsibility for it, they blame others. They seem to think admitting a mistake is a sign of personal weakness. In reality, being able to admit our mistakes is a sign of strong personal character. People respect and are attracted to those who are able to own up to their mistakes and learn from them. We have to remember that mistakes are our teachers—we often learn a great deal when we make them. Not being able to admit a mistake is to deny ourselves the opportunity to learn from the experience. It also means that we’re probably going to repeat the same mistake again somewhere in the future. As Winston Churchill once said, “Everyone makes mistakes, but only wise people learn from them.”
One Sentence Wisdom
- “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” — George Bernard Shaw
- “Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” — Oscar Wilde
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Recommended Reading
Leading from the Back: To Achieve The Impossible
Are you looking for a leadership model that is uncomplicated, easy to use and produces amazing results? If so, then Leading from the Back is for you! In it you will find everything you need to become a superstar leader. You will learn how to earn respect from your team members and help them in achieving the impossible. No more learning about numerous principles and laws of leadership. Just a three-part model that has an amazing track record of proven success.
Through an engaging parable about the travails of an upcoming young manager, Shiv Kundra, whose leadership style hampers both his ability to lead and his ability to deliver, the authors outline the fascinating concept of ‘leading from the back’.
Leading from the Back is a distillation of the collective experience and wisdom of Ravi Kant (former CEO, vice chairman, Tata Motors), Harry Paul (co-author of the bestseller FISH! A Proven Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results) and Ross Reck (co-author of The Win-Win Negotiator).
