Regret Reduction through Prevention: Leadership Lessons
April 01, 2023

In his 1967 New York Review of Books鈥 essay, 鈥淕od鈥檚 Country,鈥 James Baldwin cautioned: 鈥淭hough we would like to live without regrets, and sometimes proudly insist that we have none, this is not really possible, if only because we are mortal.鈥 As children, many of us were schooled with fables on how to prevent problems via smart planning鈥攂uild your house out of bricks not straw; diligence鈥攕tore up for the winter instead of fiddling; and perseverance鈥攕low and steady wins the race. Yet because we are human, we are condemned to imperfect foresight, resigning ourselves to a remorseful, 鈥淚f only I had鈥︹
Most of us regret decisions we have made in relationships, education, finances, and careers. If only I knew then, what I have learned since. How might have I handled that conflict differently or spoken to someone in a different way? What if I had taken that position instead of this one? Why did I hire him? I never anticipated that! And so forth!
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