Lean Quote: It's Okay to Be Wrong

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." — Sir Ken Robinson

Many people think it’s the end of the world if they’re wrong. They’ll go through all kinds of contortions to not admit a mistake, even going as far as covering things up, blaming someone else or denying that it ever happened. The amazing thing is that being wrong is liberating. It gives you a chance to stop, reevaluate and move in a more beneficial direction.

The ability to be wrong is a significant part of self-awareness because it indicates that you’re mature and healthy enough to admit a mistake, learn from it and move on. It’s the difference between an individual who stays stuck repeating the same error over and over because he never fixes the underlying cause and the person who is able to move past it. You get to choose whether being wrong holds you back or helps you grow and succeed.

"Wrongologist" Kathryn Schulz makes a compelling case for not just admitting but embracing our fallibility.