Perfection is a convincing mask—and a costly one. We explore how the fear of getting it wrong quietly caps performance, stalls innovation, and isolates leaders from the very insight they need most.
Starting with a raw early‑career misstep during a high‑stakes change program, we trace the moment a blunt admission—“I got it wrong”—transformed a tense, silent room into a creative surge that rebuilt the plan and delivered a stronger outcome.
From there, we break down why psychological safety is not a “nice to have” but the operating system for modern teams. You’ll hear how vulnerability unlocks contribution, why failure reveals the mechanism behind success, and how your response to error—forgiveness, ownership, or deflection—becomes your leadership brand.
We share field-tested coaching insights from two decades with senior leaders across sectors, connecting the dots between candor, speed of learning, and resilient execution when stakes are high and timelines are tight.
To make it practical, we offer three simple tools you can use this week: reframe your language from “I failed” to “I learned” and extract specific lessons; run a one‑minute‑each mistakes-and-learning round in your team meeting, and go first to model the tone; and build mistake recovery into planning with assumptions, early warning signals, and rollback paths. These moves reduce fear, accelerate feedback, and turn uncertainty into momentum.
If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a leader who needs the nudge, and leave a quick review—what’s one mistake you’ll turn into a lesson this week?
Leadership Horizons - Helping You Lead Beyond Boundaries
