Most leaders think they are right most of the time. I’m not sure it’s that simple. What if the question of, “am I right?” is the wrong one? The question should be, “to what degree am I right?” If facts (those pillars of truth in our lives) have a half-life, what chance do you and I have of being entirely right about anything?
I'm reminded of Tommy Lee Jones's line to Will Smith in "Men in Black", after Smith's character learns about the existence of aliens and the MIB program:
"1500 years ago, everybody 'knew' that the earth was the center of the universe. 500 years ago, everybody 'knew' that the earth was flat. And 15 minutes ago, you 'knew' that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll 'know' tomorrow."
Keeping an attitude of genuine humility about our certainties—what we "know"—is a wise idea for every leader. We should hold our ideas loosely, always looking for fresh evidence and new information, because that means we've adopted what Dweck termed a "Growth Mindset" as opposed to a "Fixed Mindset"; and a growth mindset opens us up to do exactly that: grow in our wisdom, knowledge, and influence, which only increases our leadership credibility.
As a proof to your point, the Brontosaurus was reclassified as a dinosaur in 2015, after scientists discovered it was sufficiently distinct enough from the Apatosaurus to be it's own family: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/brontosaurus-reinstating-a-prehistoric-icon.html
I'm reminded of Tommy Lee Jones's line to Will Smith in "Men in Black", after Smith's character learns about the existence of aliens and the MIB program:
"1500 years ago, everybody 'knew' that the earth was the center of the universe. 500 years ago, everybody 'knew' that the earth was flat. And 15 minutes ago, you 'knew' that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll 'know' tomorrow."
Keeping an attitude of genuine humility about our certainties—what we "know"—is a wise idea for every leader. We should hold our ideas loosely, always looking for fresh evidence and new information, because that means we've adopted what Dweck termed a "Growth Mindset" as opposed to a "Fixed Mindset"; and a growth mindset opens us up to do exactly that: grow in our wisdom, knowledge, and influence, which only increases our leadership credibility.