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. As the leader, let your team know there’s no shame in making mistakes, and most importantly, you have their back when they happen. I have seen people in leadership positions duck and throw their people under the bus when mistakes happen, and this leads to mistrust, lack of inspiration and the 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. Inspire your team with our Amazon bestseller, “Unlock the Hidden Leader: Become The Leader You Were Destined To Be.” This book has already transformed countless leaders; now it’s your turn. Click below to discover more. https://geni.us/4JmlQU #giffordthomas #leadershipfirst #leadership
That's a powerful message about the importance of embracing mistakes and fostering a culture of learning and growth. Many organizations make the mistake of focusing on blame and punishment rather than addressing the root cause and supporting their teams. By creating a safe environment where mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning, leaders can inspire their teams to take risks, innovate, and ultimately achieve greater success.
💯 I couldn't agree more. Mistakes are an inevitable part of the journey, and how we respond to them defines our culture and success. Giving your team the freedom to fail (and learn) builds trust and fosters innovation. After all, creativity thrives when people feel safe to experiment without the fear of being reprimanded. One angle I’d like to add is the importance of transparency. When mistakes are openly acknowledged and addressed, they set a powerful example for the entire organization. They show that growth is more important than perfection and encourage others to own up to their errors, learn from them, and move forward with confidence. For those interested in diving deeper into this topic, I highly recommend the book "Black Box Thinking" by Matthew Syed. It offers incredible insights into how embracing failure can lead to success. You can find a summary of this book and hundreds of others on Book Nibble—your go-to resource for free business book summaries and insights. Check it out at booknibble.com. Explore. Learn. Grow. 🚀
Absolutely! When we give people the space to make mistakes, we're fostering an environment of trust and innovation. Mistakes aren't failures—they're lessons in disguise. By encouraging learning from those experiences, we empower our teams to take risks, be creative, and grow stronger with each challenge they face. It's all about creating a culture where continuous improvement is the norm and where resilience is built through learning, not perfection. True progress happens when people feel safe to experiment, knowing that every setback is an opportunity to come back stronger." #Leadership #GrowthMindset #Innovation #ContinuousImprovement #TeamDevelopment #Resilience #FailForward
Leadership First, Mistakes are a natural part of life and work. The real test of an organization’s strength is how it handles these missteps. Great leaders don’t play the blame game or hide errors—they embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth. When leaders show their teams that making errors is okay, and commit to learning from them, they build trust and encourage innovation. Avoiding blame and instead focusing on solutions transforms mistakes into stepping stones for progress. Remember, even the most successful people have stumbled; it’s their perseverance and willingness to learn that set them apart. Let's create environments where mistakes are seen as part of the journey, not something to be feared.
Most leaders suck and the reason for that is sad... Just because you’re great at your job doesn’t mean that you’ll be great at leading the people that are doing the job. I wrote an article about the most common leadership mistakes, in case anyone is interested. https://thegentleforce.me/p/why-most-leaders-suck
They thing I can't stand is when an inspection, or inspector, happens and there isn't a single deficiency. We can't paint a rosey picture all they time and expect to get better, request more resources, or improve our processes. If things are bursting at the seams, we don't need to always put our best foot forward. Unfortunately the squeaky wheel gets the oil and showing the 'unpretty' side might be a way of flipping our 'failure' into a long-term success!
Yes!! Perfection isn’t the goal—learning and moving forward is.
Very true..encourage your people to take initiatives, try new ideas,take risks and allow them to make mistakes learning from those experiences,removing the fear of being judged or being penalised..It creates trustworthy relationships, genuine connection, creates a safe environment that promotes risk taking,mutual respect learning and support, builds self confidence,sense of accountability among members, drives growth, innovation and creativity....
The way we cope with our mistakes and the mistakes which others do, it tells a lot about our emotional intelligence. Only when we are able to process mistakes healthy, we can do that for others. It’s always about realizing that it’s not “who is to blame”, but “where the problem started, so it came here?🤔”.
All too frequently, we pass judgment and condemn someone too quickly when they only make a mistake. We say statements like "They should have known better" or "They are always like that" to ourselves or other people. Sometimes we even go so far as to assume that they did it on purpose, failing to consider the possibility that it was only an error. How often do we actually make an effort to consider things from their viewpoint and put ourselves in their shoes? Try not to pass judgment on them too quickly and give them an opportunity to make amends. If the roles were reversed, that is what you would want someone to do on your behalf.