--- title: "On Being Wrong — The Performance File | Boaz Gilad" description: "We've built a culture that demands leaders never fail — and in doing so, we've made good leadership nearly impossible. Boaz argues that the ability to be w" lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://www.boazgilad.com/#zenith-clubhouse", "name": "The Zenith Clubhouse", "url": "https://www.boazgilad.com/", "founder": { "@id": "https://www.boazgilad.com/#boaz-gilad" }, "description": "The Zenith Clubhouse is Boaz Gilad's community and coaching practice for entrepreneurs, executives and teams who want honest rooms and real accountability.", "email": "boaz@zenithclubhouse.com", "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/boaz-gilad-2237954/", "https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573032405826", "https://www.youtube.com/@UnmaskPodcastOfficial" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://www.boazgilad.com/#website", "url": "https://www.boazgilad.com/", "name": "Boaz Gilad", "publisher": { "@id": "https://www.boazgilad.com/#zenith-clubhouse" }, "about": { "@id": "https://www.boazgilad.com/#boaz-gilad" }, "inLanguage": "en-US" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BlogPosting", "headline": "On Being Wrong", "description": "We've built a culture that demands leaders never fail — and in doing so, we've made good leadership nearly impossible. 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Teams already know when a call isn't working. Naming it early buys you credibility and saves the resources that would go into defending it. What actually erodes authority is watching a leader hold a position everyone else can see has failed." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How do you build a team culture where people admit mistakes early?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Make correction cheaper than concealment, starting with your own. When the leader updates a call publicly and nothing bad happens, the team learns the real rule. If the only visible behaviour is defending decisions, that's the behaviour you'll get back, along with the cost of it." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Boaz Gilad", "item": "https://www.boazgilad.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "The Performance File", "item": "https://www.boazgilad.com/blog" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "On Being Wrong", "item": "https://www.boazgilad.com/blog/on-being-wrong" } ] } ] --- [Boaz Gilad](/) - [Podcast](/podcast) - [Books](/books/zenith-code) - [Speaker Kit](/speaker-kit) Menu [Book To Speak](/#connect) [The Performance File](/blog) Leadership July 26, 2026 # On Being Wrong We've built a culture that demands leaders never fail — and in doing so, we've made good leadership nearly impossible. Boaz argues that the ability to be wrong well is not a soft trait but a central performance skill. Leaders who can't update reality eventually make everyone else pay for the performance of certainty. [Read the full article](https://boazgilad.substack.com/p/on-being-wrong)Published on Substack ![On Being Wrong — The Performance File by Boaz Gilad](/__l5e/assets-v1/75bdb74e-81c1-402e-a185-4cf43fcb77a3/blog-on-being-wrong.webp) The Short Version ### What this edition is about We ask leaders to be certain and then punish them for being wrong. Boaz's argument is that this combination doesn't produce better decisions — it produces better performances of confidence, which is a different and far more expensive thing. Being wrong well is a specific skill: noticing early, saying it out loud, and updating the plan before the organisation has committed further resources to a position that no longer holds. Leaders who can't do this don't avoid the cost. They transfer it to their teams, their customers and their balance sheets. The edition makes the case that a culture where correction is cheap outperforms a culture where certainty is mandatory — every time, over a long enough horizon. Key Takeaways - Demanding infallibility from leaders produces performances of certainty, not better judgment. - Being wrong well is a skill: notice early, say it out loud, update the plan. - The cost of unspoken error doesn't vanish — it moves onto the team. - Cheap correction beats mandatory certainty over any meaningful time horizon. Who This Is For Executives and team leaders who set the cost of admitting error in their organisation. This page is a summary. The full edition — with the stories and the detail — lives on Substack. [Read “On Being Wrong”](https://boazgilad.substack.com/p/on-being-wrong) Questions ## On this edition ### Does admitting you were wrong undermine a leader's authority? The opposite, in my experience. Teams already know when a call isn't working. Naming it early buys you credibility and saves the resources that would go into defending it. What actually erodes authority is watching a leader hold a position everyone else can see has failed. ### How do you build a team culture where people admit mistakes early? Make correction cheaper than concealment, starting with your own. When the leader updates a call publicly and nothing bad happens, the team learns the real rule. If the only visible behaviour is defending decisions, that's the behaviour you'll get back, along with the cost of it. Continue Reading - [Newer edition ### On After the Win The dangerous moment isn't the struggle — it's right after something works. ](/blog/on-after-the-win) - [Older edition ![](/__l5e/assets-v1/b27115a2-9aef-4732-a21d-412cbe15532c/blog-on-celebration.webp) ### On Celebration Many high performers are suspicious of celebration — it feels indulgent, inefficient, dangerous. ](/blog/on-celebration) [Subscribe to The Performance File](https://substack.com/@boazgilad) More from Boaz Gilad ## Keep Exploring - [ ### Read The Zenith Code Boaz Gilad's performance playbook for founders and executives who want results that hold. ](/books/zenith-code) - [ ### Book Boaz to speak Keynotes on performance, discipline and leadership for leaders, teams and peer groups. ](/boaz-gilad-speaking-and-media-kit) - [ ### Listen to the Unmask podcast Candid conversations with high performers about the wins and failures behind their results. ](/podcast) Boaz Gilad Speaker | Author | Performance Coach [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/boaz-gilad-2237954/)[](https://www.linkedin.com/in/boaz-gilad-2237954/)[](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573032405826)[](https://www.youtube.com/@UnmaskPodcastOfficial) [boaz@zenithclubhouse.com](mailto:boaz@zenithclubhouse.com) Explore the site - [Boaz Gilad home](/) - [Unmask podcast](/podcast) - [Book: The Zenith Code](/books/zenith-code) - [Book: The Real Estate Millionaire](/books/real-estate-millionaire) - [The Performance File](/blog) - [Speaker kit](/speaker-kit) - [Speaking & media kit deck](/boaz-gilad-speaking-and-media-kit) Copyright © 2026 Boaz Gilad. 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