Career and Leadership Strategies
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CRG Weekly eZine
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July 21, 2008
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Greetings!
As
a leader, you are bound to make mistakes. It is human nature to want to
forget about, cover up, or blame someone or something else for them
happening. But the most effective leader is one who not only manages
them, but turns mistakes into opportunities for furthering your vision.
This week's eZine offers five excellent tips to help you manage your mistakes.
Andy Robinson
Head Coach
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Five Tips for Managing Your Mistakes
Esteemed
English writer Alexander Pope etched the phrase "To err is human" into
everyday vernacular because everyone, from the mailroom to the
boardroom, knows that nobody is perfect. While that is easy to accept,
it is difficult to admit.
As a leader, you want people to view you as being capable for your
position, and mistakes can threaten that image-especially the big ones.
But protecting the image of always being right can be the biggest
leadership mistake to make.
In his book Failing Forward, John Maxwell looks at making
mistakes in a positive light if they are handled in the right manner.
He writes, "In life, the question is not if you will have problems, but
how you are going to deal with your problems. Are you going to fail
forward or backward?"
As long as you do not land on your back and stay there, progress is being made.
The concept of failing forward is that you may stumble with your mistakes, but as long as you do not land on your back and stay there, progress is being made.
You can use errors to the benefit of your leadership role, your team
and your overall vision by taking appropriate actions afterward.
Own Up
The initial response of making a mistake is to cover it up, or blame
someone or some other outside factor. But those actions almost always
magnify the mistake long-term. In 1985, the Coca-Cola Company did away
with its original, famous soft drink formula, replacing it with one
called New Coke. There was an immediate outcry-even outrage-from
consumers with the move.
Instead of pointing fingers at rivals or market conditions regarding
the fiasco, Coca-Cola admitted they neglected to consider the emotional
attachment to the original drink, and employed a simple strategy to
correct it. Sergio Zyman, a key player in the new brand, explained the
process to Forbes magazine: "Ate a big slice of humble pie and brought
Classic back 77 days later." It takes courage to admit to those you are
leading that you were wrong, but it is the first and most important
step for moving back in a positive direction.
React and Repair Together
Once you realize and admit a mistake has been made do not let it worsen.
Brainstorm with your team on how to correct the problem as quickly as
possible. It can be disheartening to have someone you are leading offer
the solution for the issue you might have caused, but if it protects
your vision, it will be an easier pill to swallow.
Do not lose sight of the fact that you assembled a team because you
could not achieve your vision alone. Fixing your mistake with the help
of others will quickly get you back towards realizing it.
Learn/Educate
"Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons
that can only be learned the hard way... unless it is a fatal mistake,
which, at least, others can learn from," observes satirist Al Franken.
As the leader, communicate what oversights and miscalculations led
you to the mistake, and discuss with your team what new information was
gleaned and can be applied to upcoming strategy-making and challenges.
No matter who made the mistake, everyone should learn a valuable lesson
from it.
Keep Perspective
Keep the mistake in perspective and your eye on the big picture.
Just because the mistake, at the time, seems catastrophic, it does not
necessarily mean the end is near. It is just another step in the
process of reaching your goal. In fact, it may even spurn new ideas
that would not have been realized otherwise.
Do not aim for perfection with your team, but instead aim for making
progress with both right and wrong actions. As renowned ad man Leo
Burnett once said, "To swear off making mistakes is very easy. All you
have to do is to swear off having ideas."
Move On Fearlessly
As you get past your mistake, do not move forward with a sense of
fear for making another one. Management expert Peter Drucker explains,
"The better a man is, the more mistakes he will make, for the more new
things he will try." Communicate that philosophy so that there is no
hesitation in your team's efforts for fear of making more errors. That
way, when future mistakes do occur, they will be kept in a positive
light rather than a burden that weighs everyone down.
Special thanks to the editors of CareerBuilder.com for content included in this article.
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Quotes to Inspire
"There
are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how
unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn;
whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've
chosen to go."
Richard Bach
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