Which Mistake

Posted by DJL on Jan 10, 2013 in Leadership | 0 comments

Do you ever feel like, no matter what you’ll do, you’re going to make a mistake?

That’s not a very pleasant feel; in fact, most of us associate it with being trapped or cornered with no real hope for a good outcome. But what if that condition wasn’t one of being trapped but instead of absolute freedom?

That’s, at least, what occurred to me after reading a recent post by one of my favorite thinkers and writers, Seth Godin. The way Godin sees it, in every challenging situation we encounter, every time we are faced with an uncertain future, every time we run into a changed and changing context, there are essentially two kinds of mistakes we can make:

There is the mistake of overdoing the defense of the status quo, the error of investing too much time and energy in keeping things as they are.

And then there is the mistake made while inventing the future, the error of small experiments gone bad.

In other words, precisely because it is an unknown future or unforeseen challenge we are facing, we are likely to make mistakes. Which changes our outlook entirely. I mean, if we’re bound to make mistakes (and, let’s face it, we are), then the question isn’t whether we’ll make a mistake but which kind. Here Godin is again helpful:

We are almost never hurt by the second kind of mistake and yet we persist in making the first kind, again and again.

So why do we regularly opt for the first kind of mistake, of sticking with the status quo and doing things they way we’ve always done them?

Because of the two, that seems like the safer bet. Our current practices might not be perfect, but at least we know them. Besides, they’ve worked for so long it’s hard to believe they won’t work again…if we just stick with them, work harder, do them better, etc.

But in a changed and changing world – whether it’s the world of business, or education, or church – defending the status qou – refusing to believe, that is, the world has really changed substantially and waiting for it to change back – is incredibly costly. If you’re not sure, ask Kodak, or Circuit City, or any of the other businesses we couldn’t imagine going under. Or ask any of the thousands upon thousands or churches that have closed or schools that are struggling.

This is where leadership comes in. Leadership is finally about making decisions and, because we’re making decisions, making mistakes. But if we know we are going to make mistakes, then we are free to take smart risks, to try something new, to defy the conventional wisdom. Sure, we’ll still make mistakes, but we’ll make ones that open up and teach us about a new future rather than chain us to an untenable past.

So what kind of mistake will you make: doing it the same way because it’s frightening to make, or trying out something different, something likely to set you back in the short run as you discover the appropriate ways of being, acting, and leading in a new world?

The choice is yours. But make no mistake (yes, pun intended), if you’re in a position of leadership, you need to make it.