Think You Screwed Up? These 6 Business Leaders Share Their Big Mistake — and Lesson Learned Too often, we think a leader has to be right. But these businesses transformed when their leaders realized they'd had it wrong all along.
By BIZ Experiences Staff Edited by Frances Dodds
This story appears in the September 2023 issue of BIZ Experiences. Subscribe »
It's hard to admit you're wrong, especially when you're the boss, and you have a lot of people expecting you to have the right answer. But the ability to recognize you're wrong about something is a crucial part of growth. We asked six founders and business leaders to share stories about times they realized they'd been thinking about something all wrong, and how that recognition helped propel them — and their businesses — toward better things.
1. I thought sustainability = use less.
"I just wanted to focus on plastic reduction. But my team convinced me there was value in a moonshot. So in 2020 we declared our plan to move 'Beyond Plastic.' Since then, we've reduced our annual plastic intensity, launched a working group nearly 100 companies strong, and eliminated over 5 million pounds of plastic from products that would otherwise have relied on it. Without the more ambitious goal, we may not have made it this far." — Stuart Landesberg, cofounder and CEO, Grove Collaborative
2. I thought kids = loss of momentum.
"Before having kids, my big fear was that they'd hold me back professionally. But then we had twins a year after Sundays launched. And with our other business, a restaurant, I serendipitously had another baby every time a new location opened. Now we have four kids, and with each newborn, I was forced to step back and trust the teams I'd built, or bring in support earlier than I would have. This has actually helped propel our businesses forward." — Barbora Samieian, cofounder, Sundays
3. I thought pitching = information.
"I couldn't win over investors. Then my brother recommended the book Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff, which explains a disconnect: People often pitch using their analytical brain, but audiences operate from a fight-or-flight brain. We fell into this. We'd focused on dry information versus storytelling. We should have started with stories about changing lives, versus statistics about the market size." — Katie Kaps, cofounder and co-CEO, HigherDose
Related: This Young BIZ Experiences Explains Why You Shouldn't Fear Being Wrong
4. I thought eco-friendliness = durability.
"As a chemical engineer, I believed that multifunctional, durable consumer products would reduce waste — by reducing consumers' need to replace products. But this thinking was flawed. Consumers want new things, not products that survive decades! And products that are more durable are often made with difficult-to-degrade chemicals. So my new thinking is to prioritize recyclability." — Nicole Richards, CEO, Allonnia
5. I thought success = positivity.
"When I became an BIZ Experiences, I saw that a lifetime of 'positive thinking' (which I once believed in) created an inability to sit with negatives. I reached a breaking point. We didn't have what we needed — money, skills, or time — and this resulted in chronic stress, burnout, and ultimately depression. I've been working with a therapist and executive coach to reteach myself stillness, acceptance, and balance." — Staci Brinkman, founder and CEO, Sips by
6. I thought strength = endurance.
"When my mom was recovering from her third fight with cancer, she lamented that no heirloom jewelry brands honored survivor journeys. So we set out to create it. We anchored the brand in stories of resilience and overcoming hardship, but then learned that few survivors wanted to be reminded so viscerally of their adversity. Instead, they wanted a vehicle to talk about their path forward. We pivoted to talk about empowerment, manifestation, and entering your 'goddess era,' which opened us up to a much larger group." — Max Johnson, cofounder and CEO, Awe Inspired
Related: Common Mistakes First-Time BIZ Experiencess Make and How to Stop Them
