“To improve you have to…” (Great Work quote)
“To improve you have to have mistakes. That is the problem with improving. You have to accept that problem.”
~ Rafael Nadal
With Wimbledon underway, this little gem from Rafael Nadal seemed right on the money.
It cuts to the heart of one of the tensions of doing more Great Work. Safety, comfort, reliability and familiarity all lie in the Good Work zone. Risk, uncertainty and error lie in those unmapped parts of your Great Work.
You’re not trying to leave Good Work behind. You can’t, to misquote Jack Nicolson, handle just Great Work. But you’re looking for the best mix for you, now, between Good and Great.
And to do more Great Work, you need to make mistakes.
Where do you want to improve?
Where do you want to make a mistake?
(The answer’s the same.)
- “You don’t learn by your mistakes…” (Great Work quote)
- “Patience is also a form of action” (Great Work quote)
- “Good is the enemy of Great” (Great Work quote)
- 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life
- “For fast-acting relief try slowing down” (Great Work quote)
Great quote and attitude.
I agree, you end up learning more from your mistakes… they could end up being your best friends in the process of knowing yourself and learning to cope….
The problem is when you think that mistakes are a problem. Every mistake is a learning opportunity, and an opportunity to test the “skinny branches” of innovation. If managers expect that people can learn without mistakes, then they have made the biggest mistake of all.
Great Work Michael!
Failure is getting popular
Another blog post on why failure is good:
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/bregman/2009/07/why-you-need-to-fail.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-DAILY_STAT-_-JUL_2009-_-STAT0707