Mistakes as Signals

“For you, the seed of your next art work lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. Such imperfections, or mistakes, are your guides—valuable, reliable, objective, non-judgmental guides—to matters you need to reconsider or develop further.”

Photo by Riho Kitagawa on Unsplash

This quote from David Bayles and Ted Orland's book “Art and Fear” captures a critical mindset for leaders navigating uncertainty. When working on challenges with no clear solutions, perfection is impossible. Progress demands experimentation that will inevitably result in missteps.These missteps are signals that illuminate new pathways forward when we treat them as feedback rather than failure.

Could that disappointing trial teach invaluable customer insights? Might an employee's persistent struggle signal their latent but unrealized talent? Will that budget mishap expose process innovation possibilities?

As leaders, we must hold space for nonlinear progress, tuning teams to notice signals in their setbacks. Curiosity fuels growth; blame blocks it.

Consider: What "cracks" in your current efforts could actually guide you if studied with curiosity? When will you reexamine recent setbacks for the progress they may hold?