As many people know, Corporate America can be an incredibly stressful culture in which to maneuver. Today’s economy has only compounded this fact. Leaders are stressed, employees are stretched to their limits and lay-offs are all too common in many companies. As a result of these pressures, people’s humanity, and the always- changing demands of business, people are making mistakes. Not surprisingly, some of these mistakes are being made by the leaders, managers and owners of companies. Even those in charge are not infallible or perfect.
The fact that those in top positions in business, government and even the world make mistakes is not the problem—at least not to me. It almost seems like a no-brainer that every human being in the world—regardless of age, income or position–will make mistakes. Mistakes are simply a part of life and our humanity.
Leaders, however, often think they should explain, rationalize or justify their mistakes instead of just owning the fact that they messed up. It’s an interesting phenomenon to watch CEOs, politicians, etc., worm their way out of a poor choice. Having the courage to own your mistakes and speak genuinely about them is a high-end leadership skill. It requires self-reflection, empathy for others and accountability.
These are the very skills that leaders strive to pull from their own employees. Leaders demand that those they lead be accountable, know their strengths and work on their weaknesses and that they provide the kind of excellent customer service that requires empathy for the customer’s plight. Why, then, do leaders not model what they ask their employees to master? When leaders duck from taking responsibilities for their mistakes, they create a culture of ducking. They show those they mentor that above a certain level you must pretend to be infallible even if you are not. Leaders who dance around accountability as though it were a hidden landmine model characteristics that would harm any company. The mistakes are not the most damaging aspect of business…the way those mistakes are handled often is.
Leaders would benefit from realizing that just because they don’t speak about or acknowledge their mistakes does not mean their employees don’t see them. Leaders do not need to shout from the highest rooftop that they messed up. They do, however, owe it to those they lead to be honest about their humanity and accept the blame when it is, in fact, theirs to accept. We are all human, so mistakes are inevitable. Pretending to be perfect or above accountability is not helpful to your business, employees or customers. Leadership is as much about modeling the way you want your employees to behave as it is about making good decisions. If you want your employees to own their mistakes, then you must own yours.
If you are in a position of leadership, be accountable…not entitled. You are human, as are your employees. Refuse to act as if you are not. Know that your employees are learning from your actions and be sure your actions are teaching the lessons you want them to adopt.
Challenge: Pay attention to the way you handle your mistakes in front of your employees. Be accountable. If you snap, apologize for losing your temper. If you make a poor decision, accept responsibility for that decision and do not put the blame on someone else. Having the courage to own your mistakes and be fully accountable for their impact is an outstanding leadership skill to have. Adopt it.