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Hana Colakovic recently attended a so-called “Feile Fest” where she and other speakers spoke to 400 people about mistakes they have made in their working lives -- and what they learned from them. Photo: Petter Tran
At the start of 2020, my Link Development team and I had a concept we had big ambitions for. We were going to bring the downtown core to life by using gamification -- game elements -- through the app Svippin.
Then COVID-19 came and we made more mistakes.
We doubted the concept rather than listening to the customer's needs, we waited for the situation to resolve, and we didn't take responsibility. The concept was not launched in the market, but we taught ourselves the importance of taking responsibility for the situation we find ourselves in.
This led us to change to the company I work in today, where instead of just standing on one leg — one project — we have more legs to stand on, by offering our expertise to others, in addition to our own projects.
Mistakes are a important part of life and can be a source of creativity and new, better ideas. Even so, admitting mistakes can be uncomfortable. Why is that so?
Perhaps because we humans are concerned with our reputation and do not want to lose the respect or trust of others. Therefore, talking about mistakes one has made can feel like it reveals weaknesses or lack of control.
We set high expectations for ourselves, and admitting that one made a mistake can feel like we are not living up to these constructed expectations.
When I studied At UC Berkeley in the United States, I visited Silicon Valley on several occasions. There I noticed how eagerly people talked about mistakes they had made, as the greatest self-evident in the world. All commented that these failures were critical building blocks in their careers.
The most important thing about making mistakes is that the situation can teach us something. As an entrepreneur, there are even some mistakes I wish I had made earlier so I could have learned sooner.
I still make mistakes, but I don't allow myself to make the same mistake several times. My mistakes have taught me valuable insights about myself and my limitations — and have contributed to my being more resilient and motivated to change.
It is a difference between failing and giving up, which is why we have, among other things, the incandescent lamp, the iphone and harry potter. Thomas Edison is a classic example of one who made thousands of mistakes but never gave up and ultimately succeeds. He is known for the words “I have not failed. I've only found ten thousand ways that don't work”. It's all about perspective.
In the company I am the head of, we have seen the value of being open about our mistakes, it provides shared learning and development. So my call to you as a reader is to talk about your mistakes and what you've learned, and who knows -- maybe your mistakes might be someone else's erudition or lead to something more exciting? Together we can create an arena where we can openly share and learn from each other.
LINK TO THE POST IN BT: https://www.bt.no/btmeninger/debatt/i/JQBBPX/la-oss-snakke-om-feil
