Negative Learning

In the old days of photography, you couldn’t get a photo without first developing the negative. Everything was inverted. The light was dark, and the dark was light.

In many ways, that phenomenon mirrors professional development.

Early in my career, I worked on — or rather was assigned to — projects that, quite honestly, felt like a waste of time. I was young and very much an individual contributor, but despite my lack of experience, something was gnawing at me.

I often couldn’t move forward because we were waiting on a decision, a critical piece of software, or a conversation that never seemed to happen. Having grown up in the service industry, I knew in my gut when customers weren’t getting what they paid for — and how upset I would be if I were the one paying the bill.

Between delayed decision-making, general mismanagement, and other bottlenecks, I was often being paid to wait. I felt powerless and, quite frankly, a little “dirty,” like I was doing something wrong.

What I was actually learning was the opposite of good. I was experiencing — on a visceral level — the compounding and cascading effects of poor decisions. Of course, I didn’t realize it at the time, but those frustrating months were training me to be a better leader decades later.

Negative Learning is the art of experiencing what you don’t want to repeat. It’s the negative of the photograph. It’s the memory of the project that stalled, the manager who didn’t listen, the strategy that went nowhere.

What I learned:

• Value over Hours: If the client isn’t getting value, the engagement is failing — regardless of the paycheck.

Now I drive value.

• The Cost of Silence: When leadership doesn’t decide, the team pays in morale. The project pays in delayed timelines and unrealized benefits.

Now I drive decisions.

• Empathy for the Doers: Having been the developer stuck without a roadmap, I now prioritize communication above all else.

Now I drive clarity.

Expertise isn’t just knowing the right answer; it’s having that visceral, almost allergic reaction to the wrong one — because you’ve lived it.

What’s the “worst” project you’ve ever been on, and how did it make you better today?