When we think about content that builds credibility, it’s easy to start with the wins. The polished stories. The impressive press. The breakthrough moments we’re proud to put on a slide or repeat on a podcast. But some of the most valuable stories, the ones people quietly relate to and remember, rarely make it past the draft folder. They’re the ones that involve friction, surprises, and mistakes.
We tend to shelve them. They feel too raw, too recent, or too unpolished. But often, they hold more weight than the wins. They show your ability to adjust, not just succeed. They also reveal a leadership mindset that is built on experience, not just outcomes.
The Missed Opportunity
In a 2023 survey from Edelman, 63% of respondents said they trust brands more when they’re transparent about their challenges. But transparency doesn’t mean vulnerability for its own sake. It means showing people how you move through complexity, not just how you present yourself after the fact.
Most people aren’t looking for perfection. They’re looking for people who’ve been in the weeds and come out with a clearer perspective. If your content only shows polished takeaways, you miss the opportunity to share the context that made those insights possible.
Make It Useful
The goal isn’t to confess. It’s to teach.
Ask yourself:
- What’s something we’d approach differently now?
- What blind spot did this experience reveal?
- What changed as a result—and how can others apply that lesson?
The value isn’t just in the outcome. It’s in the thinking that happened in response to the mistake. That’s where leaders earn trust, by making their process visible in a way that helps others navigate similar situations more effectively.
You Already Have the Material
If you’ve led a team, pitched a client, built a product, or missed a deadline, you have a lesson worth sharing. It might not have felt big at the moment. But when it’s paired with a clear insight and a forward-looking message, it becomes content with real staying power.
Instead of waiting for a big launch or a press win to publish, take inventory of the lessons you’ve learned. Look at moments when you had to change course, rethink your approach, or regroup after something didn’t land. That’s where the content lives.
A Way to Stand Out
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 76% of B2B marketers say their audience wants more “honest, human content” from brands. But many are still stuck in highlight-reel mode. That’s a gap, and a chance to do something more meaningful.
Not everything needs to be turned into a long story or a LinkedIn series. Sometimes a single paragraph is enough. What matters is that it adds something people can actually use, something that shows how you think when things don’t go exactly right.
Turn Lessons Into Leadership
The stories that shape us, especially the ones marked by friction or failure, often have the most to offer others. They give our content a deeper kind of credibility, grounded in lived experience rather than polish.
If you’ve been holding onto a lesson you’ve learned the hard way, consider whether now’s the moment to share it. Someone else might be navigating the same challenge, and your perspective could be the thing that helps them move forward.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be real.