Nothing worthwhile in life is learnt without dirtying your hands
Here are some examples out of my own personal life.
Blew a fuse!! As a young boy, I tried to emulate my elder brother for testing live electric circuits;
shorted the line and blew the fuse of the entire house.
Learnt not everything is as simple as it looks when done by an knowledgeable and experienced person
Almost broke my back: Used cycle tyres as Roman Rings to emulate a gymnast. The tyres were cut through my weight and I fell flat on my back.
Learning: Shape and size is not enough. Material is very important
Scarred my right palm: Took a fishing line with hooks attached to lead weights as sinkers. Held the sinker and threw it far into the sea. The hooks tore through the flesh of my palm and left me bleeding.
Learning: There is danger lurking even in the most simple of tasks using tools
Midnight Meal – Mish mash: Past midnight tried to cook up a snack for the children. Simple omelette turned out to be nothing close to even a srambled egg. The kids called it MishMash
Learning: You have to break a few eggs before you can learn to make a decent omelette. Practice makes a man perfect
Electric Shock: While doing radio repairing in the old days with Valves, got few shocks to realize that unless you are fully aware of the circuits lurking just as a skilled surgeon is aware when making the simplest of incision you can never be a good engineer.
learning: A few shocks teaches you to be careful and not take anything for granted
The list is long and large
Now as I reminisce and theorize :
if you want to lead a team you should have dirtied your hands first and be willing to go to the shop floor to successfully lead
You can’t delegate anything that you have not done yourself – simple funda of life