Oops!
Photo by Gratisography
How often do you make mistakes at work? They can range from small ones with little consequence, such as wearing socks that do not match or forgetting a colleague’s name, to major blunders that can result in the loss of business, time, reputation, or even employment.
Mistakes happen. Some things may also appear as mistakes, but could be an action you took intentionally, and with good intentions.
Great leaders make mistakes as well, and many are well-documented (here’s a link to a few, when you have a moment). But there are two leadership habits that are vital once that mistake is made:
Assess and clean up the consequences, and
Learn from the mistake(s).
Really understanding the consequences takes some reflection. Make a list; think about which individuals, departments, or clients/customers may have been impacted by your mistake. Did your mistake cause extra work for your team or for others? Did it hinder someone’s ability to meet their numbers and/or deadline? Did your organization lose a valuable customer? Hopefully, your list is short, but even if it’s long, one blanket apology will not be sufficient. And, in the case of an intentional action, may not be sincere, as you may believe your way was truly better.
For instance, perhaps you did not authorize the delivery of a product that you knew to be flawed to a customer, and you are probably NOT sorry that you stopped that delivery.
What you do need to apologize for is the impact of your actions. In the example above, you would be sorry that the customer was inconvenienced or unable to produce what they needed without your product. In addition, your Sales team’s goals were not reached, and your production team will have extra work. All those involved are owed an apology for the impact caused by your decision. The same holds true for an actual mistake: apologize for the impact, whether you apologize for what you actually did or not.
How many times have you been issued an insincere “Sorry”?
The second habit leaders develop is to learn from their mistakes. Where did you and/or your team go wrong? Most importantly, what needs to be changed in your thinking, processes, or communication patterns to decrease the likelihood of the mistake recurring?
“There is nothing wrong with making mistakes, but one should always make new ones.”
- Dave Sims
~ Tracey
Fundamental of the Week #23: PRACTICE RECOVERY
When mistakes or errors in judgment happen, own it. Communicate to the appropriate parties, acknowledge your accountability, and set corrective steps in motion. Get back in the game quickly.
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