My $100k Mistake

Photo by @xavi_cabrera Unsplashed

Getting corrected doesn’t have to mean getting crushed.

The best leaders know the difference.

Years ago, I made a $100,000 mistake. One wrong number. One bad print run. My first real design job and my stomach dropped.

I was on a marketing team that handled huge print orders. Every region sent in their numbers. My job was to assemble it all, double-check it, and send it to print. Except one number was wrong. One. The printer ran thousands of brochures before we caught it. And I’ll never forget walking into my manager’s office thinking, “This might be it.” He sat me down, explained the situation, and said the company would cover part of the cost. Then he looked at me and said, “This is a big deal. Don’t let it happen again.” No yelling. No blame. Just calm accountability and trust.

That moment taught me more about leadership than any book ever could. Details matter. Accountability matters. But empathy — the kind that holds people responsible without breaking them — that’s what sticks for life.