Eagles reunion concert set right by a mistake

We watched the fascinating Showtime documentary "History of the Eagles" on Sunday night. I was never a big fan of their music, but for someone born in the 1960s, songs like "Take It To The Limit" and "Life In The Fast Lane" are an inescapable part of life, like the smog in LA.

And, of course, the band's story is as crazy and extreme as their music is mellow and polished. That fact alone makes the documentary great cinema. [The footage of Glenn Frey and Don Felder going at each other verbally during the band's final 1980 concert is shocking and priceless.]

Part 2 of the film takes up the band after they reunited for a concert tour in 1994. The first concert was a huge affair, to be broadcast on MTV. As the band takes the stage, the members, in voiceover, talk about how nervous and tight they were, it being 14 years since they played in front of an audience. And then, a few songs into the set, lead singer Don Henley forgets the words to one of their new songs.

And, rather than disintegrate, the band laughs at themselves [disclaimer: the following transcribed from memory and there will be errors].

"I can't believe you forgot the second verse," says Glenn Frey, smiling. "I thought you would forget the third verse."

"I know the third verse," Henley says, also with a smile on his face.

"Well, this is for television, so we get to do it until we get it right," Frey says.

And, from that point, the band relaxed and was comfortable playing together. For as professional and tightly-wound band as the Eagles, a mistake enabled them to forget their anxieties and enjoy the moment.

Don't dwell on your mistakes; make the most of your second chances

We fear mistakes because it seems to us that failure is a life sentence - a single failure creates insurmountable limits, in our mind. If you're more than 30 years old, a simple look back should assure you that this is not the case. You've failed a few times, or more than that, and have been able to bounce back. Yet this fear persists.

We forget that for 99% of mistakes you can make, there are second chances. We are allowed to try again - perhaps at the same task, perhaps a different one. But we don't only have one shot at succeeding; we have many.

In another of Adam Bryant's great NY Times "Corner Office" interviews, Mark Templeton, CEO of Citrix, discusses his second chance - regaining the CEO job after having lost it once:

There was a time, a small gap, when I lost the C.E.O job. In the June quarter of 2000, we really missed our expectations, and by then I'd been C.E.O. for six quarters and I was learning a lot, especially about working with the board. I had not kept the board informed about what was going on and some of the struggles we were having, and I was trying to carry all of it myself, which is what green leaders do. After we missed our expectations hugely, the board decided we would do a public search for a replacement, and I was demoted to president and senior executive officer. I deserved that because that's part of the game, being held accountable.

So we did a public search for a replacement and we had a candidate, but the board decided they didn't like him. That was about six months in. Then we had a second one, but the board decided that I was actually a viable candidate again. They asked me if I'd be interested in having my title back. It took me about a microsecond to say yes.

Q. So you were able to hit the reset button on the C.E.O. job, but with lessons learned.

A. And what a set of lessons to learn. No. 1: Remember you're a member of the team, and teams can take on big problems. You don't have to carry them yourself. In fact, as C.E.O. you have two teams, your board and management. And No. 2: Communication with the board is really critical to your success because that's how you can get the kind of advice you need to lead a company through hard times.