Working Conversations Episode 56:

When Leaders Make Mistakes

Say it with me:

”Mistakes happen, and that’s okay.”

Making mistakes does not make you a worse leader; instead, it helps you grow and be a better leader.

For more than 20 years now, I’ve been working with everyone from senior executives to individual contributors, leading a group of people, teaching leadership lessons in many organizations, and coaching C-suite level leaders.

And along the way, I’ve had successes and certainly made mistakes too! In no way I would deny that.

Just recently, I made a mistake. How my employees responded to it had everything to do with how I handled it.

I’ve learned so much from that mistake, that it even inspired me to share it with you in the podcast.

I deeply believe that sweeping mistakes under the rug does not make someone a better leader. The real work of leadership when a mistake happens, is owning it with humility and putting your best thinking on it to try to fix the mistake and the underlying process that allowed it to occur.

In this episode, I also share how my team members reacted to the mistake and my ownership of it, in hopes that the next time you see a leader that made a mistake – or it might be you – you’ll acknowledge that leadership is not about NOT making mistakes.

If you and your organization are one of those who are going back to the office soon, you can be sure that mistakes will be made.  You’ll learn many ideas for how to handle those mistakes from this episode.

Listen here or wherever you listen to podcasts. I hope you’ll find these insights helpful as you navigate the world of leadership for yourself or for the people who lead you. Don’t forget to download it for future use, and share it with the leaders around your circle!

Make sure to subscribe to the Working Conversations Podcast so you won’t miss out!

HERE’S WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DIG INTO IN THIS EPISODE:

1. Mistakes Happen.
2. RTO – Leaders are going to make mistakes.
3. How leaders handle and learn from their mistakes.