- This topic has 8 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 4 months ago by Manu Kashyap.
I’ve been in the travel industry for over two decades and have spent the last 17 years building and leading Windmill Holidays, a bespoke luxury holiday company.
When you’re leading, both you and your team are bound to make mistakes in the course of daily operations. Sometimes, those mistakes come at a cost, a lost client, financial setbacks, or strained relationships with trusted partners. But what truly defines leadership is how you respond in those moments.
At Windmill, the moment we spot a mistake, we bring it to the table immediately. We believe in being brutally honest, even if it means admitting we got it wrong.
Sometimes it gets emotional, and that’s okay. It’s okay to cry, as long as we are truthful. The team comes together to do everything we can to make it right. Most times, we manage to contain the damage.
But the deeper lesson is this: we treat it as a mistake, not an error. We learn from it, and we move forward stronger.
Stay calm, breathe through the storm, and trust yourself. That’s how we grow.
“The greatest leaders are not those who never fail, but those who learn fast, stay honest, and rise stronger.” — Unknown
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I’ve been in the travel industry for over two decades and have spent the last 17 years building and leading Windmill Holidays, a bespoke luxury holiday company.
When you’re leading, both you and your team are bound to make mistakes in the course of daily operations. Sometimes, those mistakes come at a cost, a lost client, financial setbacks, or strained relationships with trusted partners. But what truly defines leadership is how you respond in those moments.
At Windmill, the moment we spot a mistake, we bring it to the table immediately. We believe in being brutally honest, even if it means admitting we got it wrong.
Sometimes it gets emotional, and that’s okay. It’s okay to cry, as long as we are truthful. The team comes together to do everything we can to make it right. Most times, we manage to contain the damage.But the deeper lesson is this: we treat it as a mistake, not an error. We learn from it, and we move forward stronger.
Stay calm, breathe through the storm, and trust yourself. That’s how we grow.
“The greatest leaders are not those who never fail, but those who learn fast, stay honest, and rise stronger.” — Unknown
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Thanks Manu, its so true!
My core mistake as a manager is that for years, I thought that managing people meant making them change in a better way to fit the job.
After all these years, I no longer see things that way. You can’t change people’s talents or what deeply nourishes them.
Managing means making sure that the context and the working environment enable everyone in your team to be at the top of their game and to deploy their strengths to the maximum.
It’s about ensuring that work is a place of fulfilment and recognition.
The kind of management that kills is that which undermines motivation, or organises work in such a way that people’s talents can no longer be expressed.
This is the idea of the gardening manager, often mentioned by Isaac Geetz that helps me a lot. -
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This really landed with me. In the last few years of leading teams, hiring, and mentoring, I’ve learned that mistakes are inevitable, but how we hold space for them matters so much more.
Creating a culture where people can acknowledge what went wrong, without blame but with honesty, has led to better outcomes and stronger trust. And I’ve also had to unlearn the habit of hiding emotion, staying composed doesn’t mean being disconnected.
Really appreciate this perspective.
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Thank you for sharing this your honesty and clarity in leadership truly resonate with me. I deeply relate to what you shared about the importance of how we respond to mistakes. In my own leadership journey in the development sector, I’ve learned that mistakes aren’t just slip-ups — they’re moments of truth. What matters is how we hold them, how we come together, and how we rise from them.
I really loved how you said “we treat it as a mistake, not an error” — that distinction holds so much power. Creating a space where it’s okay to cry, okay to admit we’re wrong, and okay to learn — that’s where trust is built, and that’s what makes teams stronger.
In my own leadership journey — from working in the development sector to leading with girls from underserved communities — I’ve had my share of mistakes too. I’ve felt responsible, and at times, truly heartbroken. But instead of brushing it off, I’ve chosen to gather the team, reflect together, and acknowledge where things could have gone wrong.Those moments have taught me that leadership isn’t about being perfect — it’s about being honest, present, and willing to repair. Like you beautifully shared, staying calm and breathing through the storm helps us lead with more clarity and compassion.
Thank you for reminding us that calm, courage, and compassion are some of the most underrated leadership tools. I’m walking away with that quote you ended with — it hits home. 💛
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