6 mistakes that changed how I work
Read time: 7 minutes
A few years ago, I walked out of an important meeting feeling I'd completely messed up.
I'd prepared for hours but ended up overcomplicating what I wanted to say, and came away with that horrible feeling it had gone badly.
At the time, I saw it as a major failure.
Looking back, I probably learnt more from that one meeting than I did from all the other things that went well.
I've found that pattern throughout my career: we celebrate the promotions, funding rounds and opportunities. But the things that change how I work often come from something going wrong first.
Medicine, consulting, entrepreneurship. I've made SO many mistakes across all three. These are the ones that taught me the most.
1. Moving fast before knowing where I was going
When I first started building a startup, I had so much enthusiasm and moved quickly. I spent money and invested a lot of time before I'd properly figured out if what we were building was the right solution to the problem.
I learnt the hard way that speed is only useful if you are confident in the direction. Otherwise, you're just getting to the wrong place faster.
The lesson: Test before you invest too heavily. Get something in front of real people, listen to what they tell you, then move.
2. Listening to too many people
I've gone through periods where I've consumed everything available to me. The books, podcasts, online experts, mentors. Everyone seemingly had a different perspective on what I should be doing and how.
More advice didn't give me more clarity. In fact, it often did the opposite.
I've become much more selective about whose opinions I take on board, and how I allow them to influence my decision-making. Especially when that person doesn't understand the context.
The lesson: Get advice, but don't outsource your thinking. Not every opinion deserves equal weight.
3. Keeping my head down for too long
For years, the idea of talking about myself online felt self-indulgent, and I wasn't sure why anyone would be interested.
I think about visibility very differently now.
People can't think of you for opportunities if they don't know what you do and what you care about. You don't need to share everything, but being known for something creates possibilities.
The lesson: Don't assume your work will speak for itself. Make yourself visible so people understand what you bring to the table.
4. Choosing the wrong people
I've made decisions about people based on capability when I should have thought more about alignment.
Skills matter. But so do values, judgement and the way someone operates when things get hard.
And that extends beyond the people you hire or work with. The friends, and peers around you influence what you believe is possible and how you think.
The lesson: Pay attention to who has access to your time, as the people around you shape more than you realise.
5. Treating my capacity as unlimited
For a long time, I thought saying yes to every opportunity or project was the default position. The problem is every yes has to come from somewhere.
I've had periods of pushing myself way beyond what was healthy. I've learnt that operating at capacity all the time isn't impressive or needed. It just makes everything harder and becomes a recipe for burnout.
The lesson: Protect your time and energy; saying no is often what allows you to do the important things properly.
6. Waiting to feel ready
This is probably the mistake I've repeated most: holding back from opportunities because I thought I needed more experience, more knowledge or more proof that I could do it.
I've learnt that readiness often comes after taking the step, not before it. That more often than not, I will figure things out once I've actually started.
The lesson: Back yourself a bit earlier. You can usually work out much more along the way than you think.
The takeaway
I really don't enjoy getting things wrong, but I've stopped seeing mistakes as failure.
Some have cost me time, money, energy or confidence. But they've also changed the way I make decisions, use my time and approach opportunities.
The wins show you what's working, but the mistakes teach you why.
Speak soon!
Dupé
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