Accountability, persistence, and learning from failure are key traits leaders must learn, according to Admiral Mike Mullen.

Adm. Mullen is now the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In other words, he’s the highest ranked person in America’s armed forces. In his engaging interview with the Washington Post he mentions that he has faced two major hiccups in his career that could have left him unemployed…. However, Adm. Mullen stuck with his job and he spent 8 years improving his reputation and proving to his seniors that he was capable.

Adm. Mullen is a great example of a proactive leader who doesn’t stop learning when he makes a mistake and doesn’t stop working after earning the equavlant of an “F” in his review.