Every August, parents send their kids back to school armed with the same timeless advice: be curious, make new friends, ask for help when you need it, treat everyone kindly, and remember that mistakes are how you learn. We say it with conviction. We mean every word.

When he was younger, I used to tell my son at school dropoff each morning, "Be a good leader. Make good decisions and ask good questions. Ask for help if you need it.” At night, I tell him, "Be confident but humble and help people and animals who need your help.”

So much great wisdom we share. And then we walk into our own offices and do none of it.

The irony is hard to ignore. The wisdom we confidently hand our children, the stuff we know in our bones to be true, evaporates the moment we sit down at our desks and feel the weight of titles, deadlines, and quarterly targets.

This August, what if we took our own advice? Here 5 leadership gems to remember at work:

Be Curious: Ask Questions, Even When You Think You Should Know the Answer

We tell kids: there are no stupid questions. Raise your hand. Wonder out loud.

We tell ourselves: project confidence. Don't show uncertainty. Have the answer before the meeting starts.

Yet the research is unambiguous. According to Forbes, while 96% of executives claim they embody a growth mindset, only 45% of employees agree that their leadership actually demonstrates it in practice . Classic case of do as I say, not as I do.

The leaders who navigate uncertainty best are the ones who don't pretend to know all the answers. Show me a leader who says they have it all figured out and I'll show you a leader who is irrelevant. The ones who remain genuinely curious about the questions ar the ones who get results and pull in other perspectives to make a better decision. To paraphrase my Both/And leadership philosophy, curiosity and conviction are not mutually exclusive.

Make New Friends: Build Relationships Before You Need Them

We tell kids: introduce yourself. Sit with someone new. You never know who might become your next best friend.

We tell ourselves: I don't have time for relationship-building right now. I'll connect after the project is done.

But connection is not the reward for getting work done. It is what makes the work possible. Psychological safety - the foundation of every high-performing team - is built in the small moments of genuine human contact, not in all-hands meetings. Leaders who invest in relationships before a crisis hits are the ones with teams that hold together during one.

It Is Okay to Not Know Everything: Ask for Help

We tell kids: if you're confused, raise your hand. Teachers are there to help. You don't have to figure it out alone.

We tell ourselves: asking for help signals weakness. I should have this figured out.

Just as teachers meet students where they are, great leaders who recognize that learning never ends can do the same for their teams . It is a sign of strength to lean on others in order to accomplish your goals.

Treat Everyone With Kindness…Even People Who Are Different From You

We tell kids: include people who are left out. Be kind to the new kid. Differences make things interesting.

We tell ourselves: we value diversity. (And then we keep hiring and promoting in our own image.)

This is where empathy becomes a practice, not just a value statement. The leaders who build the most innovative, resilient teams are the ones who actively seek out difference in background, perspective, communication style, and experience. And i nvesting in diversity and creating a culture of belonging can lead to higher profits, margins, and retention, according to Michele Feferman, founder of Equity at Work in an episode of The Empathy Edge podcast. In addition, culture of empathy and belonging drives innovation, according to a study by Catalyst : 61% of employees with empathic leaders report being able to innovate, compared to just 13% with less empathic leaders.

Mistakes Are How You Learn: Treat Failures as Data, Not Personal Flaws

We tell kids: it's okay to get it wrong. That's how you figure it out. Try again.

We tell ourselves: failure is not an option. We cannot afford mistakes right now.

But in a world of constant change and AI disruption, organizations that punish failure are essentially punishing learning, which is the only real competitive advantage left. As Amy Edmondson points our in her book, Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Wel l, the highest-performing teams are not those that make the fewest mistakes, but those that talk about mistakes openly, learn from them quickly, and create a climate of psychological safety.

Leaders: Take Your Own Advice

This August, before the Q4 sprint begins, try something radical: take the advice you gave your kid - or that you received - on the first day of school. Get curious. Build a new connection. Admit what you don't know. Include someone who's been left out. And when something goes sideways, treat it as a lesson, not a verdict.

The wisdom was right the first time. We just forgot it was for us too.