Editor,

Reference is made to the editorial, "Learning from mistakes is what makes a great leader” (The New Times, June 13).

We also need to discourage a risk-averse, do-nothing-in-order-not-to-error type of leadership. In our situation, where we need to move fast to satisfy the myriad needs and wants of our people, true leaders must be prepared to take well-considered and appropriately calculated risks. And such risk-taking invariably must include expectations of some errors and their associated costs. It is not for nothing the saying that, show me someone who never makes any errors and I will show you the one who never does anything.

As such, instead of establishing a checklist of what went wrong under their predecessor’s watch and steering away from that course, a successful leader tries to understand why (not what) things went wrong and try to avoid the cause errors without avoiding what needs to be done.

The only thing to be avoided should be making the same mistake more than once; but inaction because of fear of erring is almost as damaging to progress as outright sabotage. Nothing risked, nothing gained.

Mwene Kalinda