Admitting to a mistake - Weak?

It is funny how you would see alot of elders, state leaders, any form of individual who is in a leadership capacity and even preachers of any form or manner including religion, politics etc, ask you to “accept and embrace the fact that you have made a mistake”. The funny part kicks in when these same individuals do not accept mistakes themselves. All too often I have seen people who preach that it is “ok” to admit mistakes, never really own up to one. These so called preachers are the first people to point out fingers on where you are going wrong but careful to ensure that the tales that they reflect on are in the past while clearly committing a “mistake” right now and then. These mistakes are not going to send them to hell nor are they worth the Wrath of God but it is important to be consciously aware of your environment, actions and behavior. I suppose one of the most critical things about making a mistake and accepting it is - in front whom do you accept it? I believe the answer to the question is anyone you feel is worth the confession or someone you feel you can learn from or help. This includes showing them that you as a human being in the present time of the world is also making a mistake and that is “ok” as well.

In my childhood and adult life, including my professional life, I have seen the value of being honest about making a mistake. If I am able to say “Yes, I have made a mistake”, what else can the opposition do about it other than asking me to serve the consquences depending on its severity. I suppose we all need to make mistakes to ensure that we can learn from them and grow in life, but it is also important that we do not try to commit the same mistakes again. A mistake is different from a crime and I want to be clear about that in case some one reading this post has “funny ideas”:

As per define:google

Mistake: an understanding of something that is not correct.

Crime: An act committed in violation of the law; The practice or habit of committing crime.

Reccently I have been very open with my team members, going as far as accepting “faults” or “mistakes” that I see should be made transparent in order for me to improve myself and allow others to know my weaknesses and that I am the one who exposed them.  I am not sure this shows any sign of weakness because the main reasons for doing such an activity is that you are being very clear and upfront to the people you work with - and thus a level of honesty that hopefully gets appreciated. You are also conveying to them that you are weaker at certain roles/points/situations and that you would need their help. Asking someone for help and allowing them to help you is a great way to ensure that you might be learning from folks who are better than you at a certain task but also creating a form of transparent amicability without the fusses of political necessity.  With a younger group of team members I lead, making it clear that I have my own set of tasks that I might need help with, or telling that I have made a mistake and I need their help in fixing it, is also part of a new routine that I have undertaken and hopefully it tells my team members that I am just a human being with no superpowers.

In conclusion, I think it is important to admit mistakes and not be ashamed of it. Sooner or later someone is going to find out about it if you are in the world that we live in today. The audience can differ and that is understandable but if you set a global audience maybe the feedback/lessons learnt might be more fruitful. I will leave that judgement to you. But note one thing for sure - admitting to a mistake is not a sign of weakness by any mean. It is probably the hardest thing to do in one’s life - but it’s ok to have that problem as well.