Have you ever heard of Baron of Munchhausen？He was an aristocrat who lived in the 18th century and became famous for telling tall tales。Some，like this one，became very famous：“As I was chasing after a rabbit with my horse I wanted to jump over mud。Already in the air I realized that the mud was much wider than I had calculated。Still flying I turned my horse around to get back and take a longer jump。Nevertheless I jumped too short again and got stuck in the mud up to my neck。Without doubt I would have perished，had the strength of my arm not enabled me to grab my braid and pull myself and my horse，which I held tightly clasped between my legs，out of the mud。”
Nonsense，of course，but as with many fiction stories there is a seed of truth in it：If we make a mistake the best thing to do is to pull ourselves out of the trouble。
To make mistakes is human and cannot be avoided。But different cultures see mistakes in a different way。“The man who makes no mistakes is the man who never does anything，”said Theodore Roosevelt，the former president of the United States。In America mistakes are seen as the best ways to learn，and therefore，if not repeated，easily forgiven。In Europe we are not so tolerant。It is getting better，but Schadenfreude，the pleasure to complain about mistakes others make is widespread。China，as much as we know，is still hostile towards mistakes。So much that very often especially foreign companies complain that employees in fear of mistakes would not be proactive at all。But someone who never shows initiative and is unwilling to take the risks of decision making will not climb up the career ladder。