I found Obama's admission that he made a mistake in the Daschle case refreshing - not so much because of the ethical consistency it showed, but because of his willingness to admit error. As a leader, Obama has time after time, throughout the campaign, and now as president, shown a confidence and a depth of self awareness that is all too rare in public life (and elsewhere).
Many have commented on Obama's ambitious agenda. Taking on any one of the huge challenges he faces would be daunting, (from climate change to fixing our education system) let alone the multiple intersecting challenges (how relations with China intersect with the financial crisis, for example).
He is leading us into the unknown and there are sure to be many mistakes and corrections along the way. If there are no mistakes, there is no experimentation. No failure, means no growth. Check out Mary O'Hara-Devereaux's book "Navigating the Badlands: Thriving in the Decade of Radical Transformation." I have thought of it many times in the last few months --you'll definitely see what I mean about leading into the unknown. (More in a later post).
We all need to learn how to admit responsibility quickly and make corrections; that way we can take more risks, and be more creative. It is what you do with the mistake that counts.
What is your approach to failure, both large and small? How do you handle mistakes? When have you failed well?
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