Perfection is a trap. Progress will come when making new mistakes.
When I first started building sales teams, I thought the goal was to get it all right… flawless execution, no slip-ups, no missteps.
But here’s the truth I learned the hard way:
if you’re not making mistakes, you’re not leading.
The question isn’t “Will I fail?”
It’s “Will I keep failing the same way, or will I create new mistakes that take me forward?”
Watch: Make New Mistakes
I recently shared a short video on this idea.
You can watch it right here:
A Moment of Truth
I’ll never forget the first day of summer, leading a summer sales team.
I had a picture in my mind of a perfect launch.
Everyone showed up on time, even a touch early.
Our first morning meeting ran like clockwork.
Everyone sold within the first couple days.
The reality…? Chaos.
Half the team was late the first day.
People quit the first week. My training fell flat and confused people.
The culture was… well, what culture?
By the end of that summer, I thought I’d failed completely with only a few people left and meager results with my team.
But after my first year of banging my head against the wall, I realized something.
I wasn’t having the same problems the next year.
We’d fixed the old leaks.
There were new ones, but I’d prepared my team better for the mistakes I’d made the year before.
I could feel the progress.
And felt like I was moving forward.
I found that I was making new mistakes.
That’s when I first learned the value of making new mistakes
The Lesson
Old mistakes are stuck patterns.
New mistakes are fresh lessons.
When you’re making new mistakes, it means you’re trying new things.
You’re stretching.
You’re experimenting.
You’re building something you’ve never built before.
It’s the leaders and teams who repeat the same mistakes over and over: the same poor hires, the same lack of clarity, the same excuses–that stay stuck.
Because at the end of the day, what you tolerate is what defines your culture.
But the leaders willing to step into the unknown and risk failing differently?
They’re the ones who break through.
How to Apply This
Here’s a simple filter to use:
Identify the mistake.
Ask: Have I done this before?
Check the pattern.
If yes, why am I still tolerating it?
Flip it forward.
If no, what’s the lesson here, and how do I use it to grow?
That simple shift will change the game.
Instead of beating yourself up for being imperfect, you start celebrating the fact that you’re learning in real time.
The real enemy isn’t failure… it’s the FUD fear, uncertainty, and doubt that keep you from trying something new.
I Challenge You…
Think about the biggest problem you’re working through right now.
Are you hacking at the same branch over and over?
Or are you striking at the root, taking new swings, and learning new lessons?
Perfection isn’t the goal. Progress is.
Stop fearing mistakes. Start making new ones.
Because new mistakes mean you’re in motion.
And motion is where the breakthroughs live.
And if you’re not making mistakes, you’re not leading.
Make it a great day my friend 🤝
-Ben
