You're Wrong. Now Own It.

How practicing being wrong can be the most right thing you do today.

In life, the one thing that separates the meek from the courageous, is the ability to admit being wrong.

We need to get comfortable with it, practice being wrong—because, let’s face it, we’re probably screwing up more than we care to admit.

That's a hard pill to swallow, because being wrong sucks. It can hit us at our very core. Just ask your Gen-X parents, who were practically raised by a guy named Arthur Fonzerelli (yes, the acting teacher from Barry). The dude was so allergic to being wrong, he could barely spit out “Wroooonneene.”

And yet, here we are, still pretending we’re flawless. We’re all too happy to take the bows when something goes right, but how often do we stop and think, “Maybe, just maybe, I totally f'ed this one?”

When the shit hits the fan, the first thing most people do is find someone else to blame. Some folks have turned blame-shifting into a career strategy. They make excuses, build walls, and in the process, stunt their growth as leaders while making themselves look like a-holes.

Why Are We So Afraid Of "Wrong?"

The fear of being wrong is one of the biggest plagues in the industry. Many are never comfortable taking chances, and it is so widespread there is a name for it. It's called Best Practices.

But here’s the thing, people get so enamored with the breakthrough work of other brands, that they only see the brave end result. They don't see what got them there. They don’t see the risks; the collaboration between strategy and creative and production and media and creative. They don't see the hard work that went into building a culture where it is ok to take risks, both at the agency and client. That's why we need to have a soft landing for people who want to do breakthrough work. To keep an open communication for people to feel empowered to take a risk.

Just Do It

The new Nike work for the Olympics does that. While everyone is swimming in the emotional and earnest heated pool, Wieden + Kennedy jumped into the ice bath. They took a chance and it's the only campaign people have been talking about. It's not safe, it's not risk averse. Because if you feed everyone the same, expected emotion, then it all gets lumped together. Winning isn't for everyone is the result of throwing best practices in the trash, and creating a space to fail.

But if they did fail, which is well within the wheelhouse of our pearl-clutching audience these days, what then? Well, they take responsibility, and try again. They acknowledge and move on. Because the true leaders don't play the weak-ass blame game. They don’t need a scapegoat because they’re too busy owning their part in the screw-up. And guess what? That’s how you turn a raging dumpster fire into something you can actually learn from.

So here’s your choice: take responsibility, admit your screw-ups, or double down on denial and torch every professional relationship you’ve built. I’ve seen way too many bosses choose the latter. “Oh, it’s the media’s fault,” “The client didn’t get it,” “PR dropped the ball.” Meanwhile, their idea is the real culprit. But they won't take responsibility.

I’ve had my share of epic faceplants, but here’s the kicker—I don’t cling to my wins or losses like they’re my personal identity. That makes it way easier to admit when I’ve totally blown it and gives me some room to hear what needs to be heard.

In fact, I am kind of an expert in being wrong. And here's how you can get better at being wrong too:

Live in the Discomfort: Sit with the shittiness of being wrong. Don’t rush to fix it or justify it. Feel the sting. This emotional processing is crucial for genuine growth and makes you more open-minded for your next idea.

Own Your Mistake: Resist the urge to deflect or blame. Publicly acknowledging your screw-up, whether in a team meeting or a personal conversation, shows maturity, vulnerability, and builds trust. Plus, it’s a quick way to get people off your back.

Reflect Deeply: Dive into what went wrong. Not just the surface-level mistake but the underlying factors. Was it a misjudgment? A lack of information? A hasty decision? This reflection should be brutally honest. A mistake is not just a mistake—it’s a neon sign pointing at what you need to work on.

Get Some Feedback: Engage in meaningful conversations with people who have the guts to tell it to you straight. Ask specific questions, listen with an open mind, and embrace all the feedback. This helps uncover insights you might have missed and fosters a culture of openness when others screw the pooch.

Iterate and Improve: Don’t sit around wallowing in your misjudgement. Take what you’ve learned, make some real changes, and get back in the ring. That’s how you start being someone who actually learns from their mistakes, and not afraid to keep taking risks.

Creating an environment where being wrong is a learning opportunity rather than a failure is table stakes for any good manager. Otherwise, you're just breeding a bunch of defensive a-holes like yourself—and let’s be honest, nobody wants to work with those turds.

So here’s the deal: practice being wrong. You’re going to mess up—especially if you’re taking the risks that make this industry worth being in. Don’t sugarcoat it. Own it, sit in it, and learn from it.

You owe it to yourself, your team and our industry in general.