Shane Parrish writes in Clear Thinking:

Experts can tell you all the ways they’ve failed. They know and accept that some form of failure is often part of the learning process. Imitators, however, are less likely to own up to mistakes because they’re afraid it will tarnish the image they’re trying to project.

Because failure is part of the learning process, an expert can also clearly articulate what they learned and what they got from the experience. My friend Peter Kang’s Agency Journeys series is a great example of this; in the latest issue, amidst celebrating client wins with Headspace and Patagonia, he discusses missing out on specific engagements and a sizeable client ending their work together—and more importantly, what he and his team are learning from the failures.

It also reminds me of David C. Baker, who writes in The Business of Expertise, of a specific failure to deliver insights to a client. David writes of the solution:

First, articulate the kernel segments for which you don’t have a thoughtful point of view. Just knowing what you don’t know gives you permission for that confidence about the things that you do know, and in the process allows you [to] be honest about what you don’t know. Heck, just whip out the list when a client asks a question about anything on it. They are fine with advice-givers who are human, and merely saying “no” from time to time can give real meaning to your “yes” statements. “Honestly, I’ve been asking that same question and I don’t think I have it figured out yet. [Reaching down] Here are my notes so far, and this will provide that opportunity to finally figure it out. Any thoughts along the way would be welcome. Thanks.”