Huge Thanks to Sara Blakely

Huge thanks to Sara Blakely for her talk with the Chief network of executive women last night. One of my favorite parts was her telling us that her father used to ask her daily what she failed at that day.

It reminded me of a time at Florence Healthcare when I was working with an amazing woman who feared making a mistake. I KNEW she was amazing and wanted her to trust her gut more. So I went on Amazon and bought her a gift and secretly put it on her desk. Not long after she put on my desk a post-it note with what she thought was her “big” mistake (I still have that post-it note and put it in my exercise room to make me smile). Years later I don’t even remember what that mistake was but I remember watching her spread her wings more each day.

What really sticks with me are the messages you should tell yourself and those around you:

1. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. – Voltaire
2.  You only need 80% of the information to make a decision (or 75% or 70% if you follow @Jeff Bezos’ advice).
3.  In the end you forget the times you played it safe and remember the times you took a risk and made shit happen.

Whatever you do – don’t be afraid of making a mistake. If you are a leader then celebrate your mistakes openly with your team. If they see you talk about your mistakes then they realize they too can aim high.

If in doubt, Amazon still carries the socks you can give as gifts. Could make a good Valentine’s Day gift (okay I couldn’t resist that humor).