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Leadership Unlocked
Become a Better Leader (Learn from My Mistakes)
Failure is a learning opportunity — so learn from mine!
When was the last time you failed at something?
How about mistakes as a leader? That’s a question for everyone because you might be leading others but all leadership starts with self-leadership. How long ago was it; weeks, days, (hours)? I certainly don’t have to think very far back to find failure.
I am always striving to be a better leader; to learn and to improve. Listening to Brené Brown’s excellent book Dare to Lead has helped me to own my limitations and reflect on when my practice of leadership has not lived up to my theoretical ideal.
I have led in various professional contexts for more decades than I care to mention. My experiences as a leader have been some of the most rewarding and enriching in my life, but my time as a leader is also littered with mistakes. This leads to my first key lesson:
If you want to be a leader, get used to failure!
Failing to achieve a task is one thing but I have also frequently failed to maintain my own standards and values. These are the most painful failures of all. So I thought I would start there in terms of sharing.
