The Gift of Error
Attempting to perform perfectly is counterproductive
You can listen to me share the introduction and The Principle for this journal entry, read it below, or both!
Last week, I had the honor of spending time with a group of high-performing entrepreneurs from across the country as they participated in a multi-day retreat focused on improving their businesses. I facilitated a workshop on communicating from a place of peace and nurturing peace in our team members as a core focus to unite people and naturally enhance performance.
Sharing experiences from my own journey and those of others with whom I’ve worked — along with drawing on the experiences of the leaders in the room — was calmly electric. Those of us in the conference center unified instantly over some much-needed mindset shifts in today’s fast-paced, performance-first, pain-avoiding, money-focused, tech-driven world.
Today, I’d like to focus on just one mindset shift that delivers quick, meaningful results. It’s a simple one. You’ve heard it before. However, making the shift isn’t easy for most of us.
I hope you find it beneficial.
–Bryan
Who else might benefit from this message? Please forward it to them or share it with your network. I appreciate your help in spreading the HumanlyConnected movement. Thank you!
The Principle
We’ve been taught not to make mistakes.
Plan. Perfect. Then execute — with an aim at performing error-free.
What causes us to take this rigid approach? Among other factors are the expectations we have set for ourselves, the expectations we have allowed others to impose on us, and the expectations we place on others.
For a deeper dive into the topic of setting and accepting expectations, refer to:
What If We Expected Errors?
It is from our mistakes that we often learn the most. This isn’t a new concept. We’ve all heard it. We’ve all experienced it. Yet we still attempt to avoid missteps, even at the expense of taking no action out of fear of making a mistake.
Grace
While there are many places from which we can approach a change of outlook that allows (and even welcomes) errors, a strong starting point is a position of grace.
Grace for ourselves, as we discover and learn.
Grace for other individuals, as they do the same.
Grace for collective groups, as the ripple effects of our actions unwittingly upend others’ efforts (and the forces of their actions, at times, derail ours).
When we live in a place that naturally and consistently allows grace for learning curves, because we expect errors in the course of being consistently proactive, our overall results — and those of the people we serve and lead — dramatically improve.
Checked vs. Unchecked Errors
It may be that the reason we see errors as the enemy of success is that we don’t clearly see the difference between checked and unchecked errors.
Unchecked errors are problematic. A small issue grows into an uncontrollable monster as additional resources are pumped into pushing a misdirected effort along its path.
Checked errors are powerful. We bravely act. We discover something that doesn’t work. We pivot. We act again. We repeat the cycle.
Checked errors are where innovation happens.
It’s the place where people feel confident to experiment.
It’s the platform from which new realities are launched.
It’s a safe testing ground where everyone expects missteps and redirects.
Error is a gift… If we allow it to be.
So, the concept is simple. The idea isn’t new.
If you’re already living in this space, that’s wonderful! You’re in the small minority. Your opportunity is to share how you’ve arrived in this place with others so they can improve their leadership abilities and enjoy the benefits of embracing error.
If you’re still not sure how to fully allow yourself and others the grace necessary to transform errors into building blocks, you’ll find some direction in The Practice (below).
