Since the past is certain, we can often define ourselves by it. Our pasts are part of us and they cannot be changed but our present offers us an opportunity to repeat the past so that our future will be just as certain. As terrible as this sounds, I believe people opt to repeat a certain past
Our fear of failure and pride can prevent us from wanting to take a look at the “game film” to see the details of the past, but when we are humble enough to want to be better, the eye in the sky doesn’t lie. We just have to be willing to see the brutal truth. The truth
Even the greatest planners are surprised by novel situations. In some ways, the very act of preparing for the possibility of being surprised mitigates the actual surprise when it comes. This allows a team to be in a better position to think on their feet and make sound adjustments without a panic. Overconfidence leads to an inflexible
Mistakes are inevitable but old mistakes should disappear as a team improves. New mistakes show that the team or individual is progressing. They are learning and moving on with care to avoid the things they have learned don’t work out for the best. Old mistakes demonstrate a lack of care and a recklessness that prevents the team
The ownership of a mistake is not completely found in words that say the right things without laying any blame. That’s a good start but true ownership is demonstrated in changed behavior as result of solid reflection on what caused a mistake. Saying sorry over and over for the same mistake is as annoying as blaming others
We have not truly owned our mistake if we haven’t spent some time thinking about it. Reflection on negative experiences can be painful and that‘s why we often move on too quickly only to repeat whatever choices led to the mistake. Reflection allows us to learn and that makes any mistake worth it. An ounce of prevention
Ownership of a mistake is counterintuitive to those that work hard to keep up appearances. Let’s be honest, it’s sometimes difficult to own a mistake because we don’t want the incident to harm our reputation. This innate sort of pride lingers from that childish fear of getting caught. Kids have to be taught to own up to
Great teammates own their mistakes. This means that when something goes wrong, they do not waste energy distancing themselves from the negative situation. Ordinary teammates step away from problems and point fingers to make sure they come out as clean as possible. Even in situations where there is a shared blame, a great teammate will focus on
Mistakes happen. We try to avoid them but humans have limits and mistakes have an annoying way of highlighting those limits. Since our human experience is pretty much a guarantee that we will experience committing mistakes that carry various costs, it is important to consider how to respond to them. The response to a mistake is a
Pride is a projection of phony confidence to compensate for a vulnerability I am not comfortable exposing. My pride attempts to guard what I perceive to be my weakness. Pride seems confident but true confidence resides in a peaceful contentment with who I actually am. Pride has an anxiety tell that reveals a lack of true confidence.