A small pickleball mistake reveals how assumptions, habits, and split-second decisions can quietly undermine performance—and learning.
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In this edition of Mistake of the Week, Mark Graban tells a story that didn’t appear in any safety report or headline — it happened on a pickleball court. Early in learning the sport, Mark found his old tennis instincts taking over, leading to a very incorrect serve and a moment of embarrassment. What followed was a small but meaningful lesson in feedback, psychological safety, and the challenge of unlearning deeply wired habits.
Supportive coaching, timely correction, and a friendly playing environment turned an awkward mistake into a productive one. Mark reflects on why unlearning is often harder than learning, and how leaders can create conditions where people feel safe enough to improve.
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Transcript
I am Mark Graban, and this is another mistake of the week. These are short stories about real mistakes—sometimes in the news, other times close to home—and what they might teach us about learning and improvement.
Today's mistake certainly didn't make headlines. It didn't involve a major software glitch or a near miss in aviation. It happened on a pickleball court, and it reminded me how difficult unlearning can be, especially when old habits show up more reliably than our good intentions.
I had booked my first one-on-one lesson at a local indoor pickleball center, the second time ever playing the sport. As the lesson went on, I found myself getting frustrated. Every shot that drifted long, every ball that went into the net… somewhere inside my 17-year-old high school tennis team playing self was apparently still expecting perfection—not that I was ever close to perfect back then.
My instructor noticed after one miss; I reacted, and she paused and said gently, “Don't worry about your mistakes. You're learning.” Simple words, but that's exactly what I needed to hear because this wasn't just about footwork or form. It was about how stubborn old muscle memory can be and how much kindness matters when you're trying to learn and do something new.
Well, after the lesson, I decided I wanted to play more regularly, and I made a deliberate choice. Instead of showing up for open play with strangers, I decided to start with neighbors, friends of mine—people I knew would give me space to make beginner mistakes without judgment. We got together and played, and I made plenty, of course.
At one point, one of my neighbors called a timeout and said, very kindly but directly, “Your serve isn't legal.”
I wasn't breaking rules on purpose. But what had kicked in, or started drifting into my serves (which had been fine), was an old tennis habit for how you casually start a practice rally. You know, you drop the ball and hit it from maybe waist height or even higher with a sideways, almost flat swing. That works perfectly well when you know you're playing tennis casually.
But pickleball isn't tennis; it has different rules. The serve has to be struck below your belly button with a clear low to high motion. None of that was true in tennis. I knew the pickleball rule. I thought I was following it. My brain was in the right sport; my body… just hadn't updated its software yet.
I was embarrassed, but I thanked my friend immediately. She told me she had almost waited until after we were done playing to even bring this up. But that's the difference between a culture of learning and a culture of quiet discomfort. Feedback lands best when it's timely, specific, and actionable.
Later, I texted my friend to again thank her for playing and for her help. She replied, “Not everyone is okay with feedback. I try to help in an encouraging and supportive way”.
As always, I want to thank you for listening. I hope this podcast inspires you to reflect on your own mistakes, how you can learn from them or turn them into a positive. I've had listeners tell me they started being more open and honest about mistakes in their work. And they're trying to create a workplace culture where it's safe to speak up about problems because that leads to more improvement and better business results.