The instinctive reaction to a mistake is to cover it up, pretend it didn’t happen, or ignore it. We all want the world to have a good opinion of us, to see us as competent professionals.

So what is with this broadcast your mistakes stuff? The full message is “broadcast your mistakes…and the lessons learned, the solutions found.” Become a teacher to others, a source of learning, perhaps even a source of wisdom. We learn best by stories, especially those with emotional impact. And nothing has more impact than hearing from a person who has first-hand experience.

When the entire organization can learn from the experience of one, the entire organization is stronger and more nimble.

If each individual must make the mistakes of others so he or she can learn, then the organization is doomed to mediocrity at a minimum, with outright failure a more likely outcome.

Leaders admire those who have the courage and confidence to admit their mistakes and learn from them, and the wisdom to teach others a better way. Leaders abhor those who hide their mistakes, almost insuring that others will repeat the error.