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When We Falter: The Power of Owning Our Mistakes
Mistakes are not the opposite of excellence — they are often what carry us there.
I wrote this as a quiet reflection on the mistakes I’ve made throughout my career — both big and small.
None of them were wasted. All of them were hard.
The times my numbers didn’t reconcile. The slides with typos that made it to senior eyes. The deal I nearly lost because I didn’t pause to listen. The strategies that didn’t make sense — not because they were bold, but because I didn’t know enough yet.
The times my team made changes behind my back, or failed to tell me something critical — and I still stepped up and owned the outcome.
Mistakes I made. Mistakes I inherited. Mistakes I cleaned up — sometimes quietly, sometimes painfully. The kind where public scolding was expected, and embarrassment was a given. The kind that leave a mark, and a lesson.
Each of them shaped me. Each of them moved me forward, even if the price was high.
This piece is for anyone sitting with a misstep — wondering if it disqualifies them. Let me assure you: if you’re willing to face it, learn from it, and walk through it — you’re not off course. You’re on the path to excellence.
