As The Leader, What Do You Do When Mistakes Happen

Mistakes will happen; it is inevitable; what happens after differentiates average organizations from great ones. When errors are made, our actions shift from doing the right thing to covering our behinds in many instances. Pointing fingers rather than accepting personal responsibility, hiding errors rather than fixing them, and allowing minor problems to become big ones because they’re inadequately addressed.

Remember that mistakes are vital to our growth; we often put way too much pressure on ourselves to seek some unrealistic ideal of perfection. I have seen people in leadership positions duck and throw their people under the bus when mistakes happen, leading to mistrust, lack of inspiration, and fear of trying anything new.

The most extraordinary people in their felids have made countless mistakes; they didn’t give up. They persevered and inspired many people to follow their example; as Albert Einstein puts it, a person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.