Craig Groeschel: 5 Times I Was Wrong and What it Taught Me

Over the past decade, leadership has changed dramatically. The world faced COVID, workplace values shifted, attention spans shortened, trust in organizations declined, a new generation entered the workforce with different expectations, and artificial intelligence transformed how people work and communicate.

In an environment changing this quickly, leaders who refuse to adapt often stop growing. After more than three decades of leadership experience, one truth stands out clearly: while core values may remain constant, effective leadership methods must continue to evolve. Looking back, there are five major leadership lessons that reshaped everything. The first lesson is this: growth requires a willingness to be wrong.

Many new leaders believe they must always appear confident and correct, but real growth begins when leaders become humble enough to admit mistakes, adjust quickly, and learn often. Early in leadership, passion is usually high while experience is low, which can lead to bold promises and absolute statements. Yet the promises made early can become limitations later.

The world changes, teams change, opportunities change, and leaders themselves must change. Admitting you were wrong does not mean you lack integrity; it often means you gained new understanding. Great leaders do not focus on always being right. They focus on becoming better. The second lesson is this: leaders should lead by purpose, not preference. Many leaders assume strong organizations should mirror their personal style, habits, and opinions. While preferences matter in some areas, they become dangerous when they limit growth. If everything must match the leader’s taste, nothing will ever outgrow the leader.

Expanding influence requires embracing ideas, methods, and people that operate differently. Different generations, personalities, workflows, communication styles, and creative approaches can all strengthen an organization. Strong leaders learn to let talented people succeed in their own way, as long as they align with mission and values. If leaders demand everything be done their way, they eventually lose great people. Purpose must always be greater than preference. The third lesson is this: personal standards can be high, but expectations for others must be fair. Driven leaders often expect everyone to perform with the same intensity they bring, but that is not always realistic.

Team members may care deeply, but they do not carry the same weight, see the same pressures, or have the same support systems as the leader. People also live in different seasons of life. One person may have energy but little experience. Another may have wisdom but heavy family responsibilities. Great leadership is not forcing everyone to become like the leader. It is helping each person become their best where they are right now. Keeping standards high while remaining fair creates trust, motivation, and long-term excellence. In fact, when people feel valued, respected, and supported, they often exceed expectations naturally.

The fourth lesson is this: success creates options, options create distractions, and distractions reduce success. Focus often creates momentum, and momentum creates resources. But once leaders gain more money, people, and opportunities, staying focused becomes harder. Success gives the power to do more things, but doing more things is often the beginning of losing the main thing. Every new program, hire, meeting, or opportunity carries a cost in time, energy, money, and attention. Too many good opportunities can quietly destroy great momentum. Wise leaders repeat this principle often: just because we can does not mean we should. The best organizations are not the ones doing the most things.

They are the ones doing the most important things with excellence. Protecting focus is essential because the future depends on it. The fifth lesson is this: leaders must become comfortable being uncomfortable. Many people assume leadership gets easier with time, but greater influence often brings greater pressure. New levels create new challenges, new responsibilities, and new insecurities. Growth and comfort rarely exist together. Just as muscles grow through resistance, leaders grow through difficulty, opposition, and stretching seasons. Discomfort is not always a warning sign.

Often, it is evidence of growth. Hard conversations, bold decisions, uncertain risks, and moments of failure can become the very experiences that shape stronger leaders. The distance between where many leaders are today and where they could be tomorrow is often the discomfort they are unwilling to face. These five lessons create powerful reflection questions for any leader entering a new season. What leadership belief needs to change? What personal preferences are limiting progress? Where are expectations unfair to others? What distractions are stealing focus from the main mission? What discomfort needs to be embraced for future growth? Honest answers to these questions can transform leadership.

Above all, leadership matters more than many people realize. When leaders grow in wisdom, courage, integrity, and purpose, everyone around them benefits. Teams become stronger, organizations become healthier, families are impacted, and communities are changed. Great leaders never stop learning, never stop adjusting, and never stop growing. Everyone wins when the leader gets better.