One thing I have focused a lot on as an instructor, a manager, and now as a parent is giving the people I've been instructing, managing, and parenting opportunities for constructive failure. At some point as a kid, myself, I became a little too afraid of falling - I was 10 before I learned to ride a bike, and I've never learned to properly use skates or a skateboard, and I've always wondered if maybe being a little less afraid of falling would have translated into better balance and thence into competence.

The biggest thing, though, is that I don't believe you can ever learn the difference between "hurt" and "injured" without being injured. I don't think you ever learn the difference between "oops" and "oh shit" if all you ever experience is "oops" - and certainly not if all you ever experience is "I followed instructions and everything turned out fine!"

The more we allow people to turn off their brain, the more we allow them to rely on systems already in place, the more we endanger them. It's like removing all the traffic signals from an intersection to force people to pay attention and make decisions.

I have to constantly remind myself how important it is to let others screw up. I'd think it would come more easily, given how frequently I screw up myself.