If someone criticizes you at work and you get all wrapped up in it, letting it fester in your own head, it can cause you to make moves that aren’t smart.
If you ignore every piece of feedback you get at work, you can move blindly in wrong directions and make moves that aren’t smart.
If you optimize your work until it’s perfect, you can deliver so little that you get in trouble.
If you never optimize your work, you can deliver so little that is of use that you’ll get in trouble.
If you never speak up, you may never get recognized and people will assume you have nothing of value to add.
If you never shut up, you may be so ignored that people assume you have nothing of value to add.
You get where I’m going, right?
Discernment is the key to your success.
Knowing when to speak up and when to be quiet. Knowing when to fine tune and when to finish up and get something released. Knowing when to ignore a slight and when to ponder how to improve.
Unfortunately, there’s no cheap or easy way to develop that discernment. More often than not, it comes from the kind of learning that comes from making mistakes. The mistakes where you mis-judge. And that’s how you learn where the line is.
So here’s what I want you to remember as 2019 starts: it’s ok to make mistakes. It’s how you learn to discern. And that is the skill you’ll need to succeed in the future.