Molded from Faults: Why Admitting Mistakes is the Real Test of Professional Growth
“Even the best of us are molded from faults.” – Shakespeare
In theory, accountability should get easier the more expertise we accumulate.
The more educated we become, the clearer our errors should appear. After all, education is often described as the sharpening of the intellect: a disciplined habit of identifying what’s wrong and striving to improve.
And yet, our recent survey of 700+ professionals across education levels uncovered something surprising.
What We Learned About Feedback & Fault
We asked professionals three questions:
How do you respond to tough feedback?
How easily do you admit to mistakes?
Do you want to get better at admitting fault?
Here’s what we found:
On tough feedback: Regardless of education level, people were remarkably consistent. About 55-60% reported being recognized by others as good at handling tough feedback. Roughly a quarter weren’t sure, and about 5-8% flatly said people hadn’t told them this at all. In other words: education level doesn’t make you better (or worse) at handling tough feedback.
On admitting mistakes: Here’s where education did matter. 86% of respondents with only a high school diploma said admitting mistakes comes easily. That dropped to 83% among those with a 2-year associate degree, and then to 78% for those with an undergraduate degree. Finally, it bottomed out at 76% among those with postgraduate degrees.
It seems the more educated you are, the more difficult it becomes to admit fault.
On wanting to improve at admitting mistakes: The picture becomes even more paradoxical. A full 25% of postgraduate degree holders reported having no interest in improving their ability to admit mistakes - matching the 25% of those with only a high school diploma. Meanwhile, those with undergraduate or associate degrees expressed the most motivation to get better at acknowledging errors, with only 15% in each group saying they weren’t interested in improving.
Why Do More Educated People Struggle More with Admitting Fault?
If education teaches critical thinking, why would advanced degree holders - those who are supposed to be the most capable thinkers - have the hardest time owning mistakes?
Their psychology might instructive:
Cognitive investment bias (aka scholastic snobbery): The more years you’ve invested in schooling, the more your identity is tied to “being right.” Errors feel like cracks in your foundation, not just corrections.
Uncomfortable self-auditing: Admitting fault requires the same kind of internal scrutiny that makes research rigorous: a painful, self-critical analysis. That lens turned inward feels far more threatening than when turned outward.
High stakes: At advanced levels, errors are not just momentary lapses. Mistakes can cost credibility, jobs, funding, or reputation. The higher the stakes, the stronger the instinct to defend, deflect, or deny rather than openly acknowledge the mistake.
Inexperience, the paradox of "expertise": With advanced knowledge often comes fewer mistakes. But fewer mistakes also mean fewer opportunities to practice the muscle of accountability. The very competence that education gives you may paradoxically create incompetence in your capacity for self-correction, making each rare error feel heavier and harder to own.
The Authentic Power of Admitting Fault
Educational expertise sharpens intellect, and perhaps prevents many kinds of errors. But it positions you to miss opportunities for character development, which is sharpened by experience, particularly humility and accountability.
Admitting mistakes will never feel natural. Our brains are wired to protect our sense of self, not to accept evidence handed over against ourselves. But credibility is built on the willingness to own your mistakes.
In the end, Shakespeare had it right: “Even the best of us are molded from faults.” The mark of good leaders might be avoiding errors, but the mark of great leaders is transforming mistakes into credibility. Because it’s fairness, it’s not flawlessness, that earns top marks in life.
-E.S.
