“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” Eleanor Roosevelt

We all recognize the value of learning from our own mistakes, but Eleanor’s statement suggests a broader perspective from which to learn.

When was the last time you learned from the mistakes of others?

• • • Today’s politicians are teaching me that extreme, blind loyalty is often unwise and ill-advised.  
    • A friend of mine hired someone without properly vetting him. His new employee is not working out. 
    • I attended a workshop at which the speaker’s computer didn’t interface with the room’s projector. She had not tested the technology before her presentation.

To broaden the scope of this issue, realize that we can learn from the mistakes of every person who has ever lived. History is a great tutor.

• • • King Pyrrhus of Epirus (319–272 BC) taught me to avoid Pyrrhic victories (a success that comes with great losses or unacceptable costs).
    • Samsung CEO Lee Kun-Hee taught me the value of insisting on robust dialogue among my team members at work. (He lost his company billions of dollars by pursuing a personal project that everyone knew was doomed to failure; but he didn’t ask his team’s opinion.)
    • Ernest Shackleton taught me to never put the well-being of my team in jeopardy because of a personal goal.

So remember, it’s good to learn from your own mistakes; it’s better to learn from the mistakes of others.

Respond to this post and tell us when you last learned from someone else’s mistake.