LEADING CHANGE: Mistakes and Decisions
Leaders Make Decisions Daily--and That Means Making an Occasional MISTAKE...
“I MADE A MISTAKE…”
Hey. It happens.
Making DECISIONS as a LEADER means making MISTAKES. And many times the outcome of that decision can be beyond our control. It’s a different way of thinking about it. And that’s why I loved this explanation from MARKETING GURU and best-selling-author, Seth Godin...
“I MADE A MISTAKE—This sits right next to, “I made a bad decision,” in things that are hard to say. But there are many moments when we’re confused about what actually happened.
You might not have made a bad decision. And it’s also possible you didn’t make a mistake.
It could be that there was simply a bad outcome.
That’s different.
Annie Duke opened my eyes to the distinction, and it’s critically important.
Good decisions are calculations based on what you know right now. If the world turns out differently than the data you had indicated, that’s not a bad decision.
A bad decision is one that isn’t based on available facts. It falls into traps like sunk costs or peer pressure. A bad decision is an error in judgment or skill. Good decision makers, when faced with the same options as you had, would not have done what you did.
But even good decisions often can lead to undesired outcomes…
Taking the 8:20 train is a good decision, and if the train breaks down and you’re late, it was still a good decision.
Buying a lottery ticket is never a good decision. Sometimes you win, that’s great, but given the data you had when you bought the ticket, there are clearly more profitable ways to invest your money.
If you start a business and unlikely events cause that business to fail, it’s not at all clear that you made a mistake (or a bad decision). What is clear is that the business failed, and you are involved in cleaning up a bad outcome.
The words matter. Because we should repeat our good decisions and avoid our avoidable errors.
Outcomes happen, every time. But we’re only able to be smart about what we know (including the odds), not about what is about to happen…
Making mistakes is part of business…and life. It’s what happens next that makes all the difference!
Have a great weekend,
Michael
NC CE ALERT! We’re on a NEW PLATFORM to serve you BETTER… Your CE is available ONLINE wherever you are and whenever you’re ready.
It’s Michael York’s CETV NOW! IT’s NOT JUST CE…it’s CETV!
www.BetterDealerTraining.com
EDITORS NOTE:
Michael York is an accomplished AUTHOR and SPEAKER...as well as the Co-Founder and Host of CETV. And his latest project Michael York’s CETV NOW!
In 2022 He was named “Most Unique Leadership Coach” by Corporate Vision International, and in 2023 was awarded the “Transformation Coach of the Year” by Wealth and Finance magazine, and in 2024 “Leadership Coach of the Year” by Global Business Insight magazine.
And just this year in 2025, named “MOST INSPIRATIONAL BUSINESS COACH” by Acquisition International Magazine.
He is an award-winning CONSULTANT and COACH retained by ORGANIZATIONS for his contribution to the improvement of HUMAN POTENTIAL, PERSONALLY as well as PROFESSIONALLY.
He is the RADICAL IMPROVEMENT CATALYST behind major advancements with his clients over two decades and the EVIDENCE of his EXPERTISE is confirmed by empirical RESULTS, some of which can be seen at www.MichaelYork.com