Learn from your mistakes

He is right who suspects that he is always wrong

Francisco de Quevedo

A few years ago, I heard an interesting conference on human error, from which I think it is appropriate to share some reflections.

On several occasions I have expressed my views about leadership, such as that the most important role of a leader in any organization is to make sound, well-informed judgments and to make informed decisions that produce good results.

But what if you make bad decisions? Does that mean you’re a bad leader?

Not necessarily.

Human beings are prone to making mistakes, the important thing is to be aware of it and, if we fall into one, we must be able to take measures to reverse its consequences. I have made several mistakes myself, some of them costing millions, but I also try to be quick to recognize them, reverse them and, most importantly, learn from them.

At the conference I mentioned at the beginning of the article, I met an author who has dedicated her life to the study of human error: Kathryn Schulz, who believes that we should embrace, or even celebrate, our mistakes.

I wouldn’t go that far, but the truth is that they are the most valuable learning opportunity we have. For this, it is essential to accept them, understand them and take advantage of the opportunity they offer us to improve, without evading our responsibility.

It is difficult to say “I was wrong”; however, if we manage to recognize that we were wrong and let go of fear, we will be able to carefully analyze the process that led us to make a wrong decision.

According to Schulz, many times we are trapped by an unhealthy need to feel that we are right and we blind ourselves. When discussing our mistakes we must avoid getting our feelings involved and recognize that sometimes the mistake just happens.

Paradoxically, it is a mistake to think that success is synonymous with “never being wrong”. Thinking that we are always right can be quite dangerous.

Nobody is perfect. Whoever thinks like this suffers from what Schulz calls “hubris nemesis”, whose translation from the Greek means, roughly, that your arrogance can be your worst enemy.

Schulz also reminds us that the word “error” has its origin in Latin and means “to wander.” But this very ability to wander with our thinking is a source of creativity, so we should not punish the error at all costs.

I do not celebrate mistakes, but I respect and value those who are capable of recognizing them, assume their responsibility and generate learning from them.

*The author is president and founder of Grupo Salinas.

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@RicardoBSalinas