I Became the Recordman Without Even Trying

There was silence in the meeting room. We were discussing a mistake, but no one wanted to own it.

Not long ago, we had a team meeting at work. We were addressing a recurring issue—not just a one-off slip, but something that felt systemic. The atmosphere was strange. Quiet. We asked everyone to speak up if they knew what had happened, or if they had been involved. No one did.

That is when our marketing director remarked—genuinely—that I seem to be the company’s recordman when it comes to admitting mistakes.

I have written before about how I view mistakes. There are several blog posts where I openly describe specific situations where I messed up, and what I learned from them. But this moment made me reflect on something else. Not what happened—but why admitting mistakes comes so naturally to me.

For me, it is simple. I have a goal. I pursue it. And when I fall, I let people know, get back up, and keep going. I fall, scrape my knees, tell others it happened, clean the wounds, and move on. And yes, I fall again. And get back up again.

If you have any thoughts, questions, or feedback, feel free to drop me a message at mail@richardgolian.com.