Yup! That's a pretty bold statement (even with the missing letters)!
It stands for I fessed up, actually I had the great pleasure of hearing Moira Forbes, Publisher of ForbesWoman, speak at the International Year of Youth Culmination Celebration at the United Nations, courtesy of AllyKatzz and Fashion Camp NYC. I was accompanied by my Her Honor "mentee" and Jill Tipograph. Moira Forbes talked about mistakes. I had never previously throughout about the name Forbes and the word "mistake" in the same sentence. After all, her great-grandfather B.C. and grandfather Malcolm built a media empire, has incredible brand recognition, and owned a yacht with a cool helicopter on it. The talk was all about how errors, when embraced and treated as learning experiences, can lead to wisdom and innovation.
As I sat there, I recounted my own failures as a late-life entrepreneur, boss, employee, co-worker, client, parent, wife, and human being. It was like a preview of Yom Kippur (without the fasting). Rather than beating myself up over my (many) missteps, I created a mental list of things I will never do again.
On vacation in Cancun last week (which was extended due to Mother Nature's screw-up named Irene), I translated that list into a fall action plan. I will turn to my small group of trusted advisors and colleagues to remind me if I'm on the verge of repeating an old error (or am on the brink of a new one). I will replace "Boy, was I dumb//blind/self-delusional" with "Boy, I sure learned something great and useful from that mistake." So, thanks Moira (if I may be so bold!) You could't save me from my mistakes but you sure made me feel better about them -- and more optimistic about the future.
And, to all my blog-reader friends out there...feel free to share your errors with me in the Comments section. That's not to say that I won't repeat some of the, but at least I'll be forewarned and may learn from them a little faster. Although I don't think Shenker is a great name for a yacht someday, maybe I'll name my boat the Do-over. Or simply I F---ed-Up.
Business errors that ultimately led to better things