Podcast: The Unsaid World
Host: Immaculate
About This Conversation
There is a side of leadership that rarely appears in success stories.
The moment when you realise you made the wrong decision.
The moment when everyone is waiting for your response.
And the uncomfortable reality that, sometimes, nobody else can make that decision for you.
In this episode of The Unsaid World, I joined Immaculate to discuss the less celebrated aspects of leadership: mistakes, self-doubt, responsibility, and the loneliness that can accompany difficult decisions.
Not the polished version of leadership. The real one.
When Being Wrong Becomes a Test of Credibility
Making a mistake does not automatically destroy your credibility.
What happens next can.
You can look for excuses, blame circumstances, defend a decision that is no longer defensible, or pretend that nothing happened.
Or you can acknowledge the mistake and decide what needs to happen next.
I have always believed that the second mistake is often more revealing than the first.
The first may come from incomplete information, an incorrect evaluation, or circumstances that changed unexpectedly.
The second comes from how you choose to respond.
And that choice tells people far more about your character than any carefully prepared statement about leadership ever could.
The Responsibility Nobody Can Take Away
Leadership can be lonely.
Not necessarily because you are physically alone, but because certain responsibilities cannot be delegated.
You can ask for advice. You can listen to different perspectives. You can surround yourself with capable people.
But ultimately, some decisions remain yours.
And so do their consequences.
This is something high-performance sport teaches you very quickly. When you enter the competition arena, preparation matters, experience matters, and the people who helped you get there matter.
But the decisions you make in that moment belong to you.
What We Discussed
- Why leaders do not need to be right all the time.
- How to rebuild trust after making a mistake.
- The difference between taking responsibility and making excuses.
- Why leadership can sometimes feel lonely.
- How pressure and self-doubt influence decisions.
- Why admitting an error can strengthen rather than weaken credibility.
- What difficult experiences can teach us about ourselves.
My Thoughts
I don’t expect people to be infallible. I don’t expect it from myself either.
Perfection does not exist, and pretending otherwise creates unrealistic expectations.
What matters to me is whether someone has the courage to acknowledge reality, particularly when reality is uncomfortable.
There is nothing impressive about defending a mistake simply because admitting it would hurt your pride.
And there is nothing weak about saying, “I was wrong.”
The real test of leadership begins when being right is no longer an option.
When Leaders Get It Wrong | Silvia Rizzo
The Unsaid World
Available on Apple Podcasts.
Host Feedback — ★★★★★
“I truly enjoyed this conversation with Silvia and the valuable lessons on leadership, mistakes, and growth.”
Continue Reading
A mistake is only the beginning. What happens next reveals far more about our judgment, responsibility, and character.
Explore this perspective further in my article The First Decision Shows What You Knew. The Second Shows Who You Are.
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