“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
Albert Einstein
As a coach, one of the hardest decisions is to let a player make a mistake. While mistakes allow individuals to learn and grow, they are also seen to be high risk, so we often choose the easier option of telling players what to do which leaves no room for self discovery of the solution. For players this can also be hard to understand.
Finding a balance between allowing room for a mistake to be made with the risk of that mistake, can lead to a pathway where great ideas and innovation flourish. The mistakes we make are the stepping stones to the solutions for the problems we are trying to solve. Mistakes are not failures, they are simply processes of eliminating ways that will not work in order to find solutions that will.
Most parents, coaches and players believe it’s important to try your best, but often this comes with an undercurrent of ‘don’t make mistakes’. Well! That is not learning or growing – that is perfection. If we are all perfect then – great, we are done! This mindset is not very realistic and often sets people up for failure or inhibits them from trying. Let’s be serious. While we will always attempt to coach a player to perfection, the reality is that it will rarely happen. Allowing a player to make mistakes requires consideration of the possible psychological effects of making mistakes. This effect could be a short term loss of confidence, dwelling on the mistake, anger and frustration. For a player and a team this can lead to a loss of momentum.
Mistakes are a necessary part of life. We need to consider them differently and be more accepting of honest mistakes. Take ownership of your mistakes, learn from them and try to look for solutions to fix them – they often mean that you have been trying and hopefully you will grow as a result of them.
Awesome blog Diego!
As Daniel Coyle says in ‘The Talent Code,’ one of the key characteristics of a talent hotbed is that they have a culture that celebrates ‘failure.’
Once you get a grasp of the science behind how the brain learns, you realise mistakes and failure are absolutely necessary. Without them, learning hasn’t taken place!