We hear people in all sorts of high positions–CEOs, serial entrepreneurs, business owners, marketing gurus, celebrities–preach about failure; who everyone makes mistakes and fails; how they’ve made mistakes and failed on the way to great success.

Some even go as far as to make it a direct call to action: go fail!

But then there are those who are stuck in a toxic work environment. As they try to escape by finding a new job, they’re stuck in the trenches where any mistake–big or small–is met with hostilities, ridicule and threats, even if they weren’t alone or even involved in the error that’s led to civil war in the office. Such an atmosphere is bound to traumatize and develop a certain change in how mistakes on the job are viewed. If those workers have a competitive side too, failure is also not really an option.

Whatever happened to “if you’re going to do a job, do it right”?

I was the “she” in this scenario over two years ago. I’ve always had a competitive side from my time as an aspiring athlete, where the simplest mistake could cost you a starting position–or just the position altogether. In my current position today, minimalizing and eliminating room for error is still at the forefront of my mind, especially where certain ones can, indeed, cost me my job.

I recently interviewed for a position at the company’s headquarters (my second this year, fourth total), which went mostly well until they asked what I thought my weaknesses were.

“I don’t like making mistakes, even though I make mistakes. I am not a fan of failure, even though it happens from time to time.”

If I were less honest and had chosen something else, I would possibly be singing my new position today.

Instead, they didn’t like that answer. Instead, despite admitting I did way better than most of the candidates they met, they felt that I lacked the patience and would not do well in a setting where mistakes are likely to happen. Instead, it seems, they decided to go towards welcoming mistakes rather than driving towards maximizing success.

And, though I hate to admit it, they are right:

Not making mistakes is a big mistake.