Leadership Principles: When Mistakes Happen
Mistakes are a part of life. They are also part of leadership. One could say mistakes are an unnecessary part of life but a true leader understands that mistakes are not only necessary but an important part of the growth process as a leader. When mistakes occur, they are opportunities to choose to learn and grow. What does that mean for us as leaders though? How do we grow through mistakes?
In order to grow I think we have to first recognize who and where the mistake is coming from. There’s their mistakes, my mistakes, and our mistakes. The question has to be, how do we learn and grow through each of these situations. Let’s start with their mistakes.
When I talk about their mistakes I’m talking about those outside of our teams or even organizations but those that affect them. This could be clients, vendors, or a list of other people we deal with on a regular or semi-regular basis. Because they are people and imperfect, they will make mistakes. We have to navigate these mistakes with a lot of grace. I don’t have to tell you, this isn’t something that’s easy but when we learn to operate with grace for those in our lives, we learn to navigate the relationships. When we learn to navigate the relationships in life we learn to lead. Giving someone grace doesn’t excuse their actions but it does release you from all that comes with it.
When it comes to navigating my mistakes, it’s a little different. Much like the people we deal with in life, we’re not perfect and so we’re going to make mistakes. Sometimes it’s an honest slip up and other times it’s something deeper. No matter which, there are certain things we must do in order to grow from our mistakes. First things first, we have to admit we’ve done wrong. Taking ownership over our actions shows we can be bigger than the circumstances and bigger than our pride. I’m not always the best at this part. I usually get there but it sometimes takes a bit. Once we’ve owned our mistakes we then move towards apologizing and making things right. When we choose to do this we choose growth, not only for ourselves but for our organizations. When we choose not to, I believe we hinder our growth and any organizational growth we’re looking to have.
That brings us to our mistakes. This is a little more all encompassing and includes “my mistakes” but also any mistakes made by our teams. This is a mix of the two previous paragraphs. There’s some ownership we have to take as leaders for those we lead, especially towards those outside of our organizations. Then there’s also the grace we have to walk in with our team as we navigate their growth. It requires some honest conversation pointed towards truth and correction so that the people involved are made better because of these conversations. Again, this isn’t easy but necessary.
When a leader is unwilling or unable to do these things, the problem is no longer the problem, the leader is the problem. It’s so important for us to navigate the mistakes that occur properly, with grace, and wisdom. This is something that I know but need to be reminded of often. I’d be willing to bet the same is true of you. There’s no new ideas here but I hope it acts as a good reminder for you as you lead and do life.
Keep on pressing on! You have what it takes!