Skiing down an a steep run filled with moguls, I caught an edge and fell hard.  My son whose skills had advanced so we could tackle these more challenging runs was behind me.  He also fell to avoid hitting me.  This was nothing new for him.  As someone developing his skills, he falls frequently.

The novelty was in seeing me fall. In the 7 years we’ve been enjoying this activity together, he had never seen me fall.  The types of terrain and runs that fit his level of experience were fairly easy for me, so I had stayed up right.  Now that we could go on more advanced runs together, I was finally able to push my limits further and in doing so I fell.

He had a revelation. I was suddenly just like him.   A human being capable of falling but willing to get up and try again.  Isn’t that how you’d like your employees to see you?

In the workplace you may not literally trip, but you will likely make mistakes and fail on occasion.  Instead of getting mad or upset ask, “What happened? How can I prevent that from happening next time?” Consider what you can learn and how you can use that experience to help others learn too.  When leading others using stories about your own mistakes as teachable moments builds trust and encourages risk taking and innovative thinking.

Nelson Mandela said it best, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”