Best Mistake: What We Should All Learn from These Career Blunders and Botched Opportunities

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta name="pageKey" content="d_lithograph_content">  <meta name="locale" content="en_US"> <meta id="config" data-app-id="lithograph" data-app-version="0.0.1084" data-call-tree-id="AAYnjBler1RFccoFSTfPIw==" data-multiproduct-name="lithograph-publish-frontend" data-service-name="lithograph-publish-frontend" data-browser-id="b3374de1-976b-45d9-8cca-ec6eabcb69e2" data-page-instance="urn:li:page:d_lithograph_content;Ss66zf47QvGDk5qsRAj/rA==" data-disable-jsbeacon-pagekey-suffix="false"> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/career/best-mistake">     <link rel="manifest" href="/homepage-guest/manifest.json" crossorigin="use-credentials"> <link rel="icon" href="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/al2o9zrvru7aqj8e1x2rzsrca"> <script> function getDfd() {let yFn,nFn;const p=new Promise(function(y, n){yFn=y;nFn=n;});p.resolve=yFn;p.reject=nFn;return p;} window.lazyloader = getDfd(); window.tracking = getDfd(); window.impressionTracking = getDfd(); window.ingraphTracking = getDfd(); window.appDetection = getDfd(); window.pemTracking = getDfd(); </script>  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <title>Best Mistake: What We Should All Learn from These Career Blunders and Botched Opportunities</title>  <meta property="og:type" content="website"> <meta property="og:title" content="Best Mistake: What We Should All Learn from These Career Blunders and Botched Opportunities"> <meta property="og:description" content="We all know that mistakes are inevitable. It’s what we do next that really matters. From the useful Post-It to the whimsical Slinky, we’re surrounded by inventions that were inspired by someone’s “oops.” While not every mistake will result in an accidental invention, we can — and should — erase some"> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/career/best-mistake"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4D08AQHNpYhzi4JYgA/croft-frontend-shrinkToFit1024/croft-frontend-shrinkToFit1024/0/1696291563230?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=rZdTDjPhFyARFPPCUZClInnJ3E8XtGFV_OR1iCK6fGg"> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Best Mistake: What We Should All Learn from These Career Blunders and Botched Opportunities"> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@linkedin">   <meta name="robots" content="noarchive"> <meta name="linkedin:pageTag" content="/blog/member/career/best-mistake"> <meta name="litmsProfileName" content="lithograph">  <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <meta name="asset-url" id="artdeco/static/images/icons.svg" content="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/6sz1e821vgereyxaakx87tt4z "> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/crjcj3vgj0tgpae2eu4u9y7eb">   </head> <body dir="ltr">  <a href="#lithograph-app" class="skip-link btn-md btn-primary absolute z-11 -top-[100vh] focus:top-0"> Skip to main content </a>  <div class="page-header__wrapper page-header__wrapper--margin" data-custom-nav-wrapper="true"> <div class="page-header__container"> <header id="page-header" class="page-header page-header--hide-dropshadow"> <div class="page-header__content-container"> <div class="header__logo"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member" class="custom-nav__logo-link"> <img class="header__linkedin-logo header__full-logo" src="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/6zm111mce7vohqze950ilreo4" alt="LinkedIn Logo"> <img class="header__linkedin-logo header__in-bug" src="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/5g0hjlcng3j5pgn50n2et1ca2" alt="LinkedIn Logo"> <span class="t-17 t-black t-bold default-header-title"> Official Blog </span> </a> </div>   <button class="stripped header__expand-nav-button" data-mobile-header-navigation-button data-header-expand-navigation-button aria-expanded="false"> <li-icon class="header__expand-nav-icon" a11y-text="Open navigation" type="hamburger-icon"></li-icon> </button> <button class="stripped header__expand-nav-button hidden" data-mobile-header-navigation-button data-header-collapse-navigation-button aria-expanded="false"> <li-icon class="header__expand-nav-icon" a11y-text="Close navigation" type="cancel-icon"></li-icon> </button> </div> </header> </div> <nav class="header-nav fixed" aria-label="main" data-header-navigation> <ul class="header-nav__list"> <li> <div class="artdeco-dropdown"> <div class="artdeco-dropdown__trigger"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/product" class="t-sans t-black--light t-semibold header-nav__toplink" target="_self"> Product updates </a>  </div> </div> </li> <li> <div class="artdeco-dropdown"> <div class="artdeco-dropdown__trigger"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/member-stories" class="t-sans t-black--light t-semibold header-nav__toplink" target="_self"> Member stories </a>  </div> </div> </li> <li> <div class="artdeco-dropdown"> <div class="artdeco-dropdown__trigger"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/creators" class="t-sans t-black--light t-semibold header-nav__toplink" target="_self"> Creators </a>  </div> </div> </li> <li> <div class="artdeco-dropdown"> <div class="artdeco-dropdown__trigger"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/equity" class="t-sans t-black--light t-semibold header-nav__toplink" target="_self"> Equity </a>  </div> </div> </li> <li> <div class="artdeco-dropdown"> <div class="artdeco-dropdown__trigger"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/impact" class="t-sans t-black--light t-semibold header-nav__toplink" target="_self"> Impact </a>  </div> </div> </li> <li> <div class="artdeco-dropdown"> <div class="artdeco-dropdown__trigger"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/trust-and-safety" class="t-sans t-black--light t-semibold header-nav__toplink" target="_self"> Trust & safety </a>  </div> </div> </li> </ul> </nav> <nav class="custom-header__nav--mobile invisible" data-mobile-navigation="true" aria-label="main"> <ul class="custom-header__list--mobile"> <li class="custom-header__list-item--mobile" data-mobile-navigation-list-item="true"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/product" class="t-16 t-sans t-black t-semibold header-nav__toplink" target="_self"> Product updates </a>  </li> <li class="custom-header__list-item--mobile" data-mobile-navigation-list-item="true"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/member-stories" class="t-16 t-sans t-black t-semibold header-nav__toplink" target="_self"> Member stories </a>  </li> <li class="custom-header__list-item--mobile" data-mobile-navigation-list-item="true"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/creators" class="t-16 t-sans t-black t-semibold header-nav__toplink" target="_self"> Creators </a>  </li> <li class="custom-header__list-item--mobile" data-mobile-navigation-list-item="true"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/equity" class="t-16 t-sans t-black t-semibold header-nav__toplink" target="_self"> Equity </a>  </li> <li class="custom-header__list-item--mobile" data-mobile-navigation-list-item="true"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/impact" class="t-16 t-sans t-black t-semibold header-nav__toplink" target="_self"> Impact </a>  </li> <li class="custom-header__list-item--mobile" data-mobile-navigation-list-item="true"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/trust-and-safety" class="t-16 t-sans t-black t-semibold header-nav__toplink" target="_self"> Trust & safety </a>  </li> </ul> <div class="custom-header__button-share-container--mobile">  </div> </nav> </div> <main role="main"> <div id="lithograph-app"> <section id="component-container" data-attach-collapse-behavior="true"> <div id class="component component-articleHeadline" data-component-type="articleHeadline"> <div class="article-headline-container"> <p class="article-headline__topic"> <a class="t-14" href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/career">Advance your career</a> </p> <h1 class="article-headline t-40" data-article-title="Best Mistake: What We Should All Learn from These Career Blunders and Botched Opportunities">Best Mistake: What We Should All Learn from These Career Blunders and Botched Opportunities</h1> <div class="article-meta t-14 article-meta__hairline"> <div class="article-meta__byline-container"> <div class="author-profile__author-container"> <img class="author-profile__author-image" srcset="https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5603AQEMun-vGt0P3Q/profile-displayphoto-shrink_100_100/profile-displayphoto-shrink_100_100/0/1711756935915?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=7GqsMxCcTHm-34qkYufMqX4gPL2bcXyR55Eid6yEmqs 100w,https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5603AQEMun-vGt0P3Q/profile-displayphoto-shrink_200_200/profile-displayphoto-shrink_200_200/0/1711756935915?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=6qE91MHIj5xqi_gnx5qC7z_a4a-QqTPs4GSIzxUfDEQ 200w,https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5603AQEMun-vGt0P3Q/profile-displayphoto-shrink_400_400/profile-displayphoto-shrink_400_400/0/1711756935915?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=HrdASeiRbOazYFfrrIntTbqbNp5Zn1G38oKo37BZJm8 400w,https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5603AQEMun-vGt0P3Q/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/0/1711756935915?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=0F4R7E2UABUSHib_LNKAAUnv0cOxwJNp0MAup7bhw4c 800w," sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 767px) 767px, (max-width: 1024px) 1024px, 1920px" src="https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5603AQEMun-vGt0P3Q/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/0/1711756935915?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=0F4R7E2UABUSHib_LNKAAUnv0cOxwJNp0MAup7bhw4c" alt="Amy Chen"> <div class="author-profile__author-text-container"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/amychenwrites" target="_blank" class="t-14 t-bold"><span class="screen-reader">Authored by</span>Amy Chen</a> <p class="t-14">VP, Content at Notable Capital</p> <p class="t-14 t-black--light" data-published-date="2015-4-7"> April 7, 2015 </p> </div> </div>  </div> <div class="social-share"> <ul class="social-share__list share-list" title="Share via" data-share-list> <li class="share-list__item share-item"> <a href="#" class="share-item__link medium-round-muted-tertiary-button" role="button" data-tracking-control-name="_linkedin_share" data-share-type="linkedin" aria-label="Share on LinkedIn, New window will open"> <li-icon class="share-item__icon" type="linkedin-icon"></li-icon> </a> </li> <li class="share-list__item share-item"> <a href="#" class="share-item__link medium-round-muted-tertiary-button" role="button" data-tracking-control-name="_facebook_share" data-share-type="facebook" aria-label="Share on Facebook, New window will open"> <li-icon class="share-item__icon" type="facebook-icon"></li-icon> </a> </li> <li class="share-list__item share-item"> <a href="#" class="share-item__link medium-round-muted-tertiary-button" role="button" data-tracking-control-name="_twitter_share" data-share-type="twitter" aria-label="Share on Twitter, New window will open"> <li-icon class="share-item__icon" type="twitter-icon"></li-icon> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id class="component component-richText" data-component-type="richText"> <div class="rich-text global-paragraph-style--reader"> <p>We all know that mistakes are inevitable. It’s what we do next that really matters. From the useful Post-It to the whimsical Slinky, we’re surrounded by inventions that were inspired by someone’s “oops.” While not every mistake will result in an accidental invention, we can — and should — erase some of the stigma that comes with screwing up.</p><p>From Richard Branson to former Merrill Lynch head Sallie Krawcheck, some of the world’s most successful leaders are doing just that in our latest LinkedIn series, \"Best Mistake.\" Whether it’s losing millions of dollars in a failed acquisition like Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani or dropping out of college like Hootsuite’s Ryan Holmes, 50 Influencers reflect on the career mistakes that they've made — and learned from.</p><p><strong>YOUR TURN: </strong>What are the career blunders and mortifying mistakes that made you stronger — and smarter? How did you recover from your error, and what did you learn from it?</p><p><strong>Write a post</strong>; please use <strong>#BestMistake</strong> somewhere in the body of your post.</p><p><strong>Check out the lessons that some Influencers learned the hard way:</strong></p><p><strong>Sometimes the best ideas are the craziest ones.</strong></p><p><strong>Richard Branson</strong> is known for being a visionary leader — with a penchant for pranks. He recounts how an elaborate joke on his coworker backfired, landing him in jail for a night. Branson also recalls how his other practical jokes may have inadvertently inspired bigger, better ideas: \"On April 1, 1986, I tricked the music world by running an exclusive in Music Week magazine that we had secretly developed a Music Box. It could store every song in your record collection on a tiny little device. For a small fee, users could download every track or album they desired.\"</p><p>Sound familiar? Branson goes on to say: \"Years later, a very similar device to the Music Box revolutionised the world – the iPod and iTunes. Steve Jobs told me he had read the Music Week article, and been inspired by the idea.\"</p><p><strong>Follow your instincts, even when all the naysayers are telling you otherwise.</strong></p><p>Not everyone believed <strong>Toby Cosgrove</strong> could become a cardiac surgeon. “Twelve of 13 medical schools rejected me,” Cosgrove writes. “I was the least talented person in my residency. That’s why people told me that it would be a mistake for me to go into cardiac surgery.”</p><p>Cosgrove chose to ignore those naysayers; since then, he has performed more than 22,000 cardiac surgeries. Oh, and he’s now the President and CEO of the Cleveland Clinic.</p><p><strong>Chasing after your dream may not require advanced degrees after all.</strong></p><p><strong>Ryan Holmes</strong> not only dropped out of college, but he skipped the MBA track too. Was it the colossal mistake that his friends and counselors warned him it would be?</p><p>Hardly. As the CEO of Hootsuite points out: “The new business landscape — thanks in part to the Internet and social media — grants innovative, entrepreneurial and ambitious people all sorts of new opportunities, without the degrees. It might be worth saving yourself two years — and a few hundred thousand dollars — and going after your dream now.</p><p><strong>Sometimes you have to break away from the pack.</strong></p><p>In the 1990s, <strong>Sallie Krawcheck</strong> worked as an equity research analyst. After unearthing some troubling data about subprime lending, Krawcheck recalls being discouraged from going public with her findings.</p><p>“Sallie, you’re about to make a mistake that will end your career before it has even started,” she was warned.</p><p>What Krawcheck did next would help define her career as she advanced in her field, becoming CEO of that research firm and then later the head of Merrill Lynch.</p><p>And as we all know now, Krawcheck’s suspicions about subprime lending practices were confirmed more than a decade later when the bottom dropped out of the market during the recession.</p><p><strong>Afraid to fail? Sorry but opting out equals automatic failure.</strong></p><p><strong>Ann Handley</strong> was afraid of everything as a kid: spiders, the dark, the deep end of the pool, even people. Her method of coping? Opting out before she could fail. But as Handley grew to understand, “[s]aying 'No' immediately because you are awkward or insecure or unsure of the outcome or worried about poking your nose out earns you an immediate F not just on a report card, but in life.”</p><p>As an adult, the CEO of MarketingProfs says she still struggles to overcome her fears, which these days are mostly tied to that nagging fear of failure.</p><p><strong>Never look backwards with regret.</strong></p><p>If you’re lucky, you have your pick of job offers — but even then, choosing where to work next can be an excruciating decision. Maynard Webb recalls passing up jobs at drugstore.com and Apple before finally landing at eBay: “Was thinking Apple was not worth my time a mistake? Yes, I have regrets. But I never forgot the Apple error... And from the Apple experience came the next opportunity — one I knew to consider, and soon took.”</p><p>When eBay came calling with a job as the head of technology, Webb knew better than to repeat his mistakes.</p><p><strong>TELL US:</strong> What career missteps and botched opportunities have made you stronger — and smarter? How did you bounce back? What mistake should every professional make at least once?</p><p>And hey, maybe your so-called mistake wasn’t so bad after all…</p><p><strong><a rel="" href="http://" target="_self">What's The Best Career Mistake You Ever Made?</a></strong><strong> </strong>from <strong>LinkedIn Pulse</strong></p> </div> </div> <div id class="component component-postList" data-component-type="postList"> <section id="postList0FocusPoint" class="component__content-container list-layout" data-post-list> <section class="simple-topic-list"> <p class="t-14 t-bold">Topics: <a class="simple-topic-list__topic" href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/creators"> Creators </a> </p> </section> <hr class="artdeco-divider"> <section class="list-layout__headline-container"> <p class="list-layout__headline t-32 t-sans">Related articles</p>  </section> <ul class="list-layout__posts"> <li class="post-list__item list-post"> <div class="list-post__content-container"> <p class="list-post__content-container__topic"> <a class="t-14 t-bold" href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/career"> Advance your career </a> </p> <div class="list-post__content-container__title"> <a class="list-post__link t-20 t-black" href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/career/the-top-skills-you-need-to-succeed-at-work-and-at-home"> The Top Skills You Need to Succeed at Work — and at Home </a> </div> <div class="list-post__content-container__byline"> <p class="list-post__content-container__author t-14 t-bold t-black"> Amy Chen </p> <p class="list-post__content-container__date t-14 t-black--light"> Jan 14, 2016 </p> </div> </div> <div class="list-post__image-container"> <figure class="post__image-figure"> <img class="post__image" alt data-delayed-url="https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4D08AQHul3HfEhP5cg/croft-frontend-shrinkToFit1024/croft-frontend-shrinkToFit1024/0/1696291257484?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=2BT-wXeg3DHruRxEqm9IlaWmegu7B5TxdHHSmavOx3I" data-ghost-url="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/8pouyb1ly746xtru0x7p2axm0" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 767px) 767px, (max-width: 1024px) 1024px, 480px"> </figure> </div> </li> <li class="post-list__item list-post"> <div class="list-post__content-container"> <p class="list-post__content-container__topic"> <a class="t-14 t-bold" href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/creators"> Creators </a> </p> <div class="list-post__content-container__title"> <a class="list-post__link t-20 t-black" href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/creators/what-big-ideas-will-disrupt-2016-top-minds-share-their-predictions"> What big ideas will disrupt 2016? Top minds share their predic... </a> </div> <div class="list-post__content-container__byline"> <p class="list-post__content-container__author t-14 t-bold t-black"> Amy Chen </p> <p class="list-post__content-container__date t-14 t-black--light"> Dec 16, 2015 </p> </div> </div> <div class="list-post__image-container"> <figure class="post__image-figure"> <img class="post__image" alt data-delayed-url="https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4D08AQGYERqyf52nRg/croft-frontend-shrinkToFit1024/croft-frontend-shrinkToFit1024/0/1696291168672?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=4i79peGsJKzxtotiFPohiVCpsQsYO41HYJQxOLB8gew" data-ghost-url="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/8pouyb1ly746xtru0x7p2axm0" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 767px) 767px, (max-width: 1024px) 1024px, 480px"> </figure> </div> </li> <li class="post-list__item list-post"> <div class="list-post__content-container"> <p class="list-post__content-container__topic"> <a class="t-14 t-bold" href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/career"> Advance your career </a> </p> <div class="list-post__content-container__title"> <a class="list-post__link t-20 t-black" href="https://www.linkedin.com/blog/member/career/manage-your-day-like-tony-robbins-richard-branson-and-other-productive-people"> Manage your day like Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, and other ... </a> </div> <div class="list-post__content-container__byline"> <p class="list-post__content-container__author t-14 t-bold t-black"> Amy Chen </p> <p class="list-post__content-container__date t-14 t-black--light"> Oct 6, 2015 </p> </div> </div> <div class="list-post__image-container"> <figure class="post__image-figure"> <img class="post__image" alt data-delayed-url="https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4D08AQHAC7puZLW1fg/croft-frontend-shrinkToFit1024/croft-frontend-shrinkToFit1024/0/1696291369056?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=RWaSvdEWorR3QtE8lsG3FPg_8mKD111wkYwtYDxjcZU" data-ghost-url="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/8pouyb1ly746xtru0x7p2axm0" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 767px) 767px, (max-width: 1024px) 1024px, 480px"> </figure> </div> </li> </ul>  </section> </div>  </section> </div> <script src="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/8hfbuq1ftcvnnx4dd5067pi0t" async></script> <script src="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/dev5px9xu71l67oqmrrbimi6b" async></script> <script src="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/3e9epkft4bs8unu9ky8gss8ya" async></script> </main> <footer class="li-footer bg-transparent w-full "> <ul class="li-footer__list flex flex-wrap flex-row items-start justify-start w-full h-auto min-h-[50px] my-[0px] mx-auto py-3 px-2 papabear:w-[1128px] papabear:p-0"> <li class="li-footer__item font-sans text-xs text-color-text-low-emphasis flex flex-shrink-0 justify-start p-1 relative w-50% papabear:justify-center papabear:w-auto"> <span class="sr-only">LinkedIn</span> <icon class="li-footer__copy-logo text-color-logo-brand-alt inline-block self-center h-[14px] w-[56px] mr-1" data-delayed-url="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/e12h2cd8ac580qen9qdd0qks8"></icon> <span class="li-footer__copy-text flex items-center">© 2024</span> </li> <li class="li-footer__item font-sans text-xs text-color-text-low-emphasis flex flex-shrink-0 justify-start p-1 relative w-50% papabear:justify-center papabear:w-auto"> <a class="li-footer__item-link flex items-center font-sans text-xs font-bold text-color-text-low-emphasis hover:text-color-link-hover focus:text-color-link-focus" href="https://about.linkedin.com?trk=content_footer-about" data-tracking-control-name="content_footer-about" data-tracking-will-navigate> About </a> </li> <li class="li-footer__item font-sans text-xs text-color-text-low-emphasis flex flex-shrink-0 justify-start p-1 relative w-50% papabear:justify-center papabear:w-auto"> <a class="li-footer__item-link flex items-center font-sans text-xs font-bold text-color-text-low-emphasis hover:text-color-link-hover focus:text-color-link-focus" href="https://www.linkedin.com/accessibility?trk=content_footer-accessibility" data-tracking-control-name="content_footer-accessibility" data-tracking-will-navigate> Accessibility </a> </li> <li class="li-footer__item font-sans text-xs text-color-text-low-emphasis flex flex-shrink-0 justify-start p-1 relative w-50% papabear:justify-center papabear:w-auto"> <a class="li-footer__item-link flex items-center font-sans text-xs font-bold text-color-text-low-emphasis hover:text-color-link-hover focus:text-color-link-focus" href="https://www.linkedin.com/legal/user-agreement?trk=content_footer-user-agreement" data-tracking-control-name="content_footer-user-agreement" data-tracking-will-navigate> User Agreement </a> </li> <li class="li-footer__item font-sans text-xs text-color-text-low-emphasis flex flex-shrink-0 justify-start p-1 relative w-50% papabear:justify-center papabear:w-auto"> <a class="li-footer__item-link flex items-center font-sans text-xs font-bold text-color-text-low-emphasis hover:text-color-link-hover focus:text-color-link-focus" href="https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy?trk=content_footer-privacy-policy" data-tracking-control-name="content_footer-privacy-policy" data-tracking-will-navigate> Privacy Policy </a> </li>  <li class="li-footer__item font-sans text-xs text-color-text-low-emphasis flex flex-shrink-0 justify-start p-1 relative w-50% papabear:justify-center papabear:w-auto"> <a class="li-footer__item-link flex items-center font-sans text-xs font-bold text-color-text-low-emphasis hover:text-color-link-hover focus:text-color-link-focus" href="https://www.linkedin.com/legal/cookie-policy?trk=content_footer-cookie-policy" data-tracking-control-name="content_footer-cookie-policy" data-tracking-will-navigate> Cookie Policy </a> </li> <li class="li-footer__item font-sans text-xs text-color-text-low-emphasis flex flex-shrink-0 justify-start p-1 relative w-50% papabear:justify-center papabear:w-auto"> <a class="li-footer__item-link flex items-center font-sans text-xs font-bold text-color-text-low-emphasis hover:text-color-link-hover focus:text-color-link-focus" href="https://www.linkedin.com/legal/copyright-policy?trk=content_footer-copyright-policy" data-tracking-control-name="content_footer-copyright-policy" data-tracking-will-navigate> Copyright Policy </a> </li> <li class="li-footer__item font-sans text-xs text-color-text-low-emphasis flex flex-shrink-0 justify-start p-1 relative w-50% papabear:justify-center papabear:w-auto"> <a class="li-footer__item-link flex items-center font-sans text-xs font-bold text-color-text-low-emphasis hover:text-color-link-hover focus:text-color-link-focus" href="https://brand.linkedin.com/policies?trk=content_footer-brand-policy" data-tracking-control-name="content_footer-brand-policy" data-tracking-will-navigate> Brand Policy </a> </li> <li class="li-footer__item font-sans text-xs text-color-text-low-emphasis flex flex-shrink-0 justify-start p-1 relative w-50% papabear:justify-center papabear:w-auto"> <a class="li-footer__item-link flex items-center font-sans text-xs font-bold text-color-text-low-emphasis hover:text-color-link-hover focus:text-color-link-focus" href="https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls?trk=content_footer-guest-controls" data-tracking-control-name="content_footer-guest-controls" data-tracking-will-navigate> Guest Controls </a> </li> <li class="li-footer__item font-sans text-xs text-color-text-low-emphasis flex flex-shrink-0 justify-start p-1 relative w-50% papabear:justify-center papabear:w-auto"> <a class="li-footer__item-link flex items-center font-sans text-xs font-bold text-color-text-low-emphasis hover:text-color-link-hover focus:text-color-link-focus" href="https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/34593?trk=content_footer-community-guide" data-tracking-control-name="content_footer-community-guide" data-tracking-will-navigate> Community Guidelines </a> </li>  <li class="li-footer__item font-sans text-xs text-color-text-low-emphasis flex flex-shrink-0 justify-start p-1 relative w-50% papabear:justify-center papabear:w-auto"> <div class="collapsible-dropdown collapsible-dropdown--footer collapsible-dropdown--up flex items-center relative hyphens-auto language-selector z-2">  <ul class="collapsible-dropdown__list hidden container-raised absolute w-auto overflow-y-auto flex-col items-stretch z-1 bottom-[100%] top-auto" role="menu" tabindex="-1"> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="العربية (Arabic)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-ar_AE" data-locale="ar_AE" role="menuitem" lang="ar_AE"> العربية (Arabic) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="বাংলা (Bangla)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-bn_IN" data-locale="bn_IN" role="menuitem" lang="bn_IN"> বাংলা (Bangla) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Čeština (Czech)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-cs_CZ" data-locale="cs_CZ" role="menuitem" lang="cs_CZ"> Čeština (Czech) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Dansk (Danish)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-da_DK" data-locale="da_DK" role="menuitem" lang="da_DK"> Dansk (Danish) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Deutsch (German)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-de_DE" data-locale="de_DE" role="menuitem" lang="de_DE"> Deutsch (German) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Ελληνικά (Greek)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-el_GR" data-locale="el_GR" role="menuitem" lang="el_GR"> Ελληνικά (Greek) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="English (English) selected" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link--selected" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-en_US" data-locale="en_US" role="menuitem" lang="en_US"> <strong>English (English)</strong> </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Español (Spanish)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-es_ES" data-locale="es_ES" role="menuitem" lang="es_ES"> Español (Spanish) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="فارسی (Persian)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-fa_IR" data-locale="fa_IR" role="menuitem" lang="fa_IR"> فارسی (Persian) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Suomi (Finnish)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-fi_FI" data-locale="fi_FI" role="menuitem" lang="fi_FI"> Suomi (Finnish) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Français (French)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-fr_FR" data-locale="fr_FR" role="menuitem" lang="fr_FR"> Français (French) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="हिंदी (Hindi)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-hi_IN" data-locale="hi_IN" role="menuitem" lang="hi_IN"> हिंदी (Hindi) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Magyar (Hungarian)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-hu_HU" data-locale="hu_HU" role="menuitem" lang="hu_HU"> Magyar (Hungarian) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-in_ID" data-locale="in_ID" role="menuitem" lang="in_ID"> Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Italiano (Italian)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-it_IT" data-locale="it_IT" role="menuitem" lang="it_IT"> Italiano (Italian) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="עברית (Hebrew)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-iw_IL" data-locale="iw_IL" role="menuitem" lang="iw_IL"> עברית (Hebrew) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="日本語 (Japanese)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-ja_JP" data-locale="ja_JP" role="menuitem" lang="ja_JP"> 日本語 (Japanese) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="한국어 (Korean)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-ko_KR" data-locale="ko_KR" role="menuitem" lang="ko_KR"> 한국어 (Korean) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="मराठी (Marathi)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-mr_IN" data-locale="mr_IN" role="menuitem" lang="mr_IN"> मराठी (Marathi) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Bahasa Malaysia (Malay)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-ms_MY" data-locale="ms_MY" role="menuitem" lang="ms_MY"> Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Nederlands (Dutch)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-nl_NL" data-locale="nl_NL" role="menuitem" lang="nl_NL"> Nederlands (Dutch) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Norsk (Norwegian)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-no_NO" data-locale="no_NO" role="menuitem" lang="no_NO"> Norsk (Norwegian) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Punjabi)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-pa_IN" data-locale="pa_IN" role="menuitem" lang="pa_IN"> ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Punjabi) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Polski (Polish)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-pl_PL" data-locale="pl_PL" role="menuitem" lang="pl_PL"> Polski (Polish) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Português (Portuguese)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-pt_BR" data-locale="pt_BR" role="menuitem" lang="pt_BR"> Português (Portuguese) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Română (Romanian)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-ro_RO" data-locale="ro_RO" role="menuitem" lang="ro_RO"> Română (Romanian) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Русский (Russian)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-ru_RU" data-locale="ru_RU" role="menuitem" lang="ru_RU"> Русский (Russian) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Svenska (Swedish)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-sv_SE" data-locale="sv_SE" role="menuitem" lang="sv_SE"> Svenska (Swedish) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="తెలుగు (Telugu)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-te_IN" data-locale="te_IN" role="menuitem" lang="te_IN"> తెలుగు (Telugu) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="ภาษาไทย (Thai)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-th_TH" data-locale="th_TH" role="menuitem" lang="th_TH"> ภาษาไทย (Thai) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Tagalog (Tagalog)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-tl_PH" data-locale="tl_PH" role="menuitem" lang="tl_PH"> Tagalog (Tagalog) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Türkçe (Turkish)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-tr_TR" data-locale="tr_TR" role="menuitem" lang="tr_TR"> Türkçe (Turkish) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Українська (Ukrainian)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-uk_UA" data-locale="uk_UA" role="menuitem" lang="uk_UA"> Українська (Ukrainian) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-vi_VN" data-locale="vi_VN" role="menuitem" lang="vi_VN"> Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="简体中文 (Chinese (Simplified))" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-zh_CN" data-locale="zh_CN" role="menuitem" lang="zh_CN"> 简体中文 (Chinese (Simplified)) </button> </li> <li class="language-selector__item" role="presentation">  <button aria-label="正體中文 (Chinese (Traditional))" class="font-sans text-xs link block py-[5px] px-2 w-full hover:cursor-pointer hover:bg-color-action hover:text-color-text-on-dark focus:bg-color-action focus:text-color-text-on-dark language-selector__link !font-regular" data-tracking-control-name="language-selector-zh_TW" data-locale="zh_TW" role="menuitem" lang="zh_TW"> 正體中文 (Chinese (Traditional)) </button> </li>  </ul> <button class="language-selector__button select-none relative pr-2 font-sans text-xs font-bold text-color-text-low-emphasis hover:text-color-link-hover hover:cursor-pointer focus:text-color-link-focus focus:outline-dotted focus:outline-1" aria-expanded="false" data-tracking-control-name="footer-lang-dropdown_trigger"> <span class="language-selector__label-text mr-0.5 break-words"> Language </span> <icon class="language-selector__label-chevron w-2 h-2 absolute top-0 right-0" data-delayed-url="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/cyolgscd0imw2ldqppkrb84vo"></icon> </button> </div> </li> </ul>  </footer> <script src="https://static.licdn.com/aero-v1/sc/h/eh08muqvrde4h3hc6koyij5ti" async></script>  </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

Best Mistake: What We Should All Learn from These Career Blunders and Botched Opportunities