Be Willing To Be Wrong

I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid, I loved to try stuff.

I didn’t just want to do things the standard way, either. I wanted to get in there and do something different.

While other kids were going the traditional lemonade stand route, my sister and I threw a whole mini carnival on our front lawn, complete with a DIY “dunk tank” (aka a bucket of water dumped over a friends’ head… not quite sure how we roped her into that one.)

One day, we turned a neighbor’s shed into a ‘60s style restaurant, dressed in costume, printed out menus, and whipped up diner specials for our visiting cousins.

As teenagers, our interests turned more political and we started an activist group (which gained a substantial following and even led to chapters in other cities), published our own zines, organized benefit concerts featuring our favourite bands, and so on.

Along the way, I also indulged my storytelling whims — writing and publishing my own books and stories; co-hosting a talk radio show; reading my own poetry at coffee house nights; you get the idea.

What I didn’t do was a lot of traditional stuff like organized sports or dance lessons. (Though I did participate in the swing dance craze of the ‘90s.)

Looking back, I think I was more interested in trying things and participating in the exuberant, creative process that came with that than I was interested in succeeding or making sure everything turned out just right.

I’m sharing this with you because I think that energy is something we could use more of.

We’re not kids anymore. We’re grown up, we run businesses, we make commitments, we lead others, we carry big responsibilities on our shoulders.

But we all secretly know that we don’t know it all, right? No matter how smart or experienced we are, we also know that many things are unpredictable, that at the heart of doing anything new or bold (from running a business to being a parent to living through a pandemic) means that the things we try might not work. And even if they do, they’re unlikely to go precisely as planned.

We could be wrong. And embracing that truth is essential to a thought leader’s success.

If you only write, publish, or share what you’re 100% certain of, you’re unlikely to create anything.

I believe the people who really change the game, lead the way for others, and improve the world in some way are those who are willing to take their best shot at something with both confidence and humility.

In other words, they are willing to be wrong.

I’ve learned this not only from my youthful experiments but from those around me: my father, who was audacious enough to start his own business while my mom was pregnant with my sister and I; my amazing clients who are shaping their industries with thoughtfulness and intention; and the people I look to for mentorship and support.

They remind me, again and again, to embrace the uncertainty. Be humble enough to know that you don’t know it all, but confident enough to make an assertion and put your best out into the world.

So, going into the new year, here is one idea for a resolution: Be willing to be wrong.

(Oh, and stay tuned because in my next post I’m going to share some concrete tips from leading experts who will show you how to be wrong the “right” way.)

Till then, comment and let me know: what are you willing to be wrong about?