In my first year out of college I had a mentor sitting a few cubicles over who was fond of the saying “you should never trust a man who walks without a limp.”
I’m not sure I fully understood the meaning at the time, as I’d yet to accumulate my share of professional bumps and bruises.
Fast-forward to today, and I’m surprised I can still walk at all, let alone limp.
I’ve messed up on the occasional hire. I’ve settled on inappropriate pricing strategies and paid dearly. I’ve failed my employees with disengaged and distracted leadership only to see them find work elsewhere.
I’ve made what feels like all of the mistakes. In fact, when I first sat down to write this material, I labeled the document “300 Ways Not to Run Your Small Business.”
I’ve come to learn that the best business and life mentors carry themselves with an air of confidence thanks to their hard-earned lessons learned along the way, but aren’t afraid of owning their mistakes in a public forum.
As you search for a mentor of your own, filter out the ones who are afraid to admit their biggest mistakes and shortcomings. Business ownership, especially the successful version, is an ongoing exercise of two steps forward, one step back.
Ignore the people who claim to only take steps forward. The lessons learned from losses teach far more than the wins ever will.
-Pete
PS: Whenever you want even more BFU in your life, here are some free resources: