As you realized this was new territory for you, how did you feel? Was it exciting to learn and grow, or did it feel stressful?.What resources did you use to learn or grow during this example? Who did you reach out to, and why?.This week, either on your own or with a group, think about a past mistake and ask yourself these questions: It also offers an important teaching moment, helping others learn now what you learned in a more stressful situation. Whether you’re sharing with colleagues, answering a related question in an interview, or just reflecting on yourself, the listening party gets a glimpse into how you solve problems and what values you uphold under pressure. But when we share both parts of these stories - the misstep and the lessons in its aftermath - we dim the lights on shame and give our personal and professional growth the spotlight. It takes a lot of trust - both in yourself and others- to open up about experiences where you felt shame over being less than your best in the moment.

Revisiting past mistakes can be slightly harrowing, slightly humorous, and incredibly vulnerable - especially for leaders. By the end of this vulnerable exercise, we had all let our guards down and grown a little closer to each other as colleagues and people in the process. And by the same token, everyone had learned something invaluable from their experiences. Everyone could recall an incident they wished had gone differently. There were early-career foot-in-mouth-moments, where someone wished their feet had been out the door instead. There were tales of missed meetings and missed opportunities. While there was some hesitation at first, the stories started flowing as soon as we realized everyone had something to share. Since we had some new team members joining us, we kicked things off with an ice breaker called “Everyone Makes Mistakes,” which involved us going around the horn and fessing up to some of our most impressive professional and personal blunders. A few weeks ago, the HPS team gathered around a holiday fireplace (some of us in-person, some tuning in on Zoom) for an end-of-year meeting and celebration.

Mistakes of the Past by Patricia Lynne