Wisdom or Deceptive Intelligence: Learning from Mistakes and Shaping Better Decisions

 

By Teguh Yoga Raksa

Leadership is less about trying to be successful (yourself) and more about making sure you have good people, and your work is to remove the barrier, remove roadblocks for them so that they can be successful in what they do (CEO ‘s Google, Sundar Pichai)

It’s easy to believe that intelligence alone will protect us from failures. But as David Robson explains in The Intelligence Trap, even the brightest minds can be led astray. We’ve all seen it happen—someone with impressive credentials or a sharp mind making decisions that leave us wondering: How could they miss that?

The reality is intelligence is not  impacted by the mistakes of human perception. In fact, sometimes it’s our very confidence in our intellect that sets us up for failure. Let’s take a look at how mistakes are not just inevitable, but necessary lessons—if we choose to learn from them.

The Pundit’s Paradox: How Expertise Can Blind Us

Imagine a seasoned expert—let’s call them a pundit. They are highly respected in their field, known for making informed, calculated decisions. Yet, time and again, even these experienced individuals succumb to biases that cloud their judgment. How is that possible? Shouldn’t their expertise protect them from mistakes?

The truth is, expertise can be both a gift and a curse. When a pundit faces a decision, they rely on their knowledge, but this reliance often becomes a crutch. They may act with an overconfidence that blinds them to critical details, or they may fail to consider alternative perspectives. This is where things often go wrong. Sometimes, the mistake is nothing more than a mere fluke—a random error that, in hindsight, could have been avoided with a bit more caution.

This is a lesson in humility. Expertise can only guide us if we recognize its limits. When we fail to question ourselves, that’s when we risk making the mistakes that will serve as our lessons.

The Courage to Challenge: The Dangers of Overconfidence

As we move forward, we also see how the sheer audacity of overconfidence can lead to disastrous outcomes. A person who makes decisions without fully understanding the risks is often acting on impulse, not strategy. They dive in headfirst, convinced of their own correctness. But the reality is that, when the worst-case scenario hits, these overconfident choices can result in situations that are inexplicably destructive.

For example, a leader in an organization might afflict their team by pushing forward with a decision that seems sound but fails to consider the broader consequences. Instead of opening up space for alternative solutions or taking the time to reflect, they let their certainty cloud their judgment. The result? Exacerbating the problem rather than solving it.

The strategic approach here is clear: Recognize the importance of thoughtful consideration and learn to step back before charging ahead. Decisions made in haste often lead to mistakes that could have been avoided with more careful foresight.

 Learning from The Failures: The Power of Reflection

Every strategist knows that progress is rarely linear. It’s easy to get stuck in a place of an impasse, where no solution seems to work. We all reach these deadlocks in lifetimes when every option feels like a step in the wrong direction. But it’s precisely in these moments of reflection that the greatest lessons are learned.

Take a mistake, look at it from all angles, and understand where things went wrong. Perhaps it was the deceptively simple approach that led to the most complex problems. Or maybe, it was a group of domineering people who pushed for decisions that seemed unquestionable at the time but turned out to be flawed. In such situations, leadership and strategy require the ability to step back and ask: How can we do better next time?

True growth comes from confronting mistakes head-on, without defensiveness, and using them to sharpen your strategic mindset. Be excessively aware of your own limits and challenge your own assumptions. If we’re open to learning from each misstep, the path forward becomes clearer with every lesson.

 The Role of Authority and Hierarchy in Strategic Thinking

Sometimes, mistakes come from deeper, more embedded cultural biases—especially when we’re dealing with organizations or groups. Prevailing cultural attitudes to hierarchy often discourage dissent, and can make people unwilling to challenge authority, even when they know something’s off. This reverence for hierarchy can blind us to better solutions, and as a result, we let subpar decisions stand without question.

It’s a dangerous pattern—one that turns minor issues into major disasters. Leaders who demand absolute loyalty, or those who fail to listen to feedback, can create a severe sign of disloyalty by discouraging constructive criticism. And when the status quo goes unchallenged, errors are left unexamined.

If we want to avoid these pitfalls, we need to build a culture where defusing the status conflict is a priority. Allow for open dialogue and encourage fresh perspectives, especially when mistakes occur. This openness doesn’t just prevent future errors; it sets the stage for more innovative, forward-thinking decisions.

Future-Minded Strategy: Embracing Mistakes as Opportunities

Every mistake is a chance to refine our strategy, to adjust and move forward more wisely. The ability to defuse the tension between ego and mistake, to make mistakes without losing focus, is the hallmark of a great leader. It’s a mindset rooted in the future—one that sees beyond the mistake itself and looks at how it can fuel future growth.

Yes, mistakes are disastrous when we fail to learn from them. But they are also diminutive, small and temporary problems in the major scheme of progress, if we take the right lessons from them.

The smart strategist isn’t one who avoids mistakes, but one who learns how to make them work for them. With each mistake, they refine their approach, adjust their tactics, and move forward with greater confidence, understanding, and precision.

The most powerful tool at your disposal, then, is not just your intelligence, but your capacity for growth. Recognize mistakes as lessons and let them sharpen your mind, your decisions, and your future strategies. Because, ultimately, it is not the mistakes that define us—but how we respond to them.

Salam Pembelajar 
Learn - Action & Success
@teguhyr