Leadership Scars Are Worth It

Whoops! On Making Mistakes   I was working as an intern at a Public Relations and Marketing firm during my final year of college. I was tasked with creating an Excel document that showed one of our biggest clients how valuable our services were. It showed them, in dollars, how effectively we had carried out their campaign.   After compiling and calculating all that we had done, I discovered our final ROI number had six figures! My boss was elated. We celebrated with Guinness beers around the conference table, toasting to the fruit of our hard work.   A day later, my boss came back to me with the document and showed me an error I had made. In creating the Excel formula, I had accidentally doubled the final number. The ROI was a much more modest number, not six figures.   I still cringe thinking about that disappointment.   The highlight of the story, however, is that my boss was incredibly gracious and kind. She had every right to be angry. She was the one with egg on her face in front of the client. She  was the one who sat there while they pointed out that the math didn’t quite add up. Instead of passive aggressively taking me off additional projects or relegating me to endless Excel trainings, she calmly showed me the error and we talked about how to avoid it in the future. She continued to trust me and allow me to do work that was valuable to the firm.   This was the greater lesson to me—her excellent leadership. Not only did she handle my mistake with kindness, but she also gave me the space to learn from it. I worked much harder after that, double checking and rechecking the documents I created.   Over the years, I have come to see that these are some of the most important moments in leadership. These are the moments that define a leader, a company and a culture. A good leader chooses to teach and guide an employee in the face of an honest mistake instead of addressing it with frustration, ignoring it, or letting it impact that employee’s position in the company.  A good leader even turns that mistake into a very important opportunity.   Here are 3 quick tips on how to be a good leader in the face of others’ mistakes:   Don’t be surprised: People are human, mistakes are going to happen. There is no avoiding them. This is especially important for those of us who strive for perfection and think it is attainable. We must learn that no amount of planning, preparation or hard work is going to keep mistakes from happening. They are a fact of life and everyone makes them. I’ll say that again for those in the back. EVERYONE makes them.   Instead of treating mistakes like a nuisance, like a boulder in the middle of the road, or a stain on your favorite shirt, treat them like a welcome family member at a dinner party. They are good. They are necessary, and they will make your employees, and your company grow. They teach us important things and lead us places we did not even know we wanted to go. Let’s embrace them instead.   When they happen, handle them with tact. It’s best to address mistakes in private with the employee directly. Do it quickly and with discretion. Communicate what happened, any consequences of the mistake and the handling of them, and how it could be an opportunity for growth and change.   If it’s necessary to communicate with the entire team about the mistake, do so with thoughtfulness. Don’t forget to address the possibilities it has created or the positive outcomes. Be honest and open, but remember you frame the narrative. Think about what you are creating and how you want to lead through this, then choose your words, body language, and message accordingly.   Hold people accountable, coach them toward understanding and growth. Remember that mistakes are a part of growth so they should be welcomed and, in some cases, even embraced. Make sure you are not ignoring or avoiding them. Accountability is necessary. If the same mistake is being made over and over, that needs addressing. There will be no growth or learning if employees are not held accountable for their actions.   Remember that the same mistake might be made twice, coaching and leading requires a lot of patience, especially when working with employees who operate quite differently than you do. Bring in help from outside leaders or other coaches if needed. Notice pain points among your team where there might be a lot of mistakes being made. Large group training and coaching can also be helpful.   It may go without saying, but how you handle your own mistakes will say a lot about how you handle others’ mistakes. When you mess up, if you are quick to dust yourself off and try again, then you are more likely to have that same attitude with your employees. If you are hard on yourself, berate yourself and wallow in the failure, then you may have more trouble giving others space to make mistakes.   Consider these things and may you be the best leader you can be.   ###   This post is based on the IOL Podcast Episode #159: Embracing Economic Growth with Nicole Ryf. Listen for lots of good takeaways including more on leading through mistakes.   This blog was written by Ashley Buenger

Last Friday, I was able to attend a leadership conference with several of my leaders. We were able to hear several speakers focus on leadership and how to inspire our teams. There was one speaker that really made an impact on me because her message got me to think about how my leadership could be inspiring or draining my team.   The speaker was Liz Wiseman and her book is titled MULTIPLIERS.   Have you ever been overworked & under utilized?   How did that make you feel? Frustrated Annoyed Drained Exhausted Unfulfilled   Your leadership style can MULTIPLE or DEMINISH your people’s efforts. All leaders want employees to give 100% in their jobs. Your leadership will make an impact on our team's effort to be 100% or less.   A leader who overworks and underutilizes their team will see the effort of the employee drop to 30-40%.   An employee’s effort changes when they know their boss believes in them. It’s easy to think of the bad boss who was a control freak, gossiper, full of double standards who drained you as a DEMINISHER LEADER.   But what if you are an ACCIDENTAL DEMNISHER?   WHOA! That hit me between the eyes and got me to stop in my tracks. I had to think “AM I THAT GUY?!”   An ACCIDENTAL DEMNISHER has the best of intentions but does diminish their people.   The tendencies of an ACCIDENTAL DEMINISHER: Ideas Fountain – you overwhelm others with too many ideas. Always On – your energy causes others to stay quiet. Rescuer – your team doesn’t learn on their own how-to problem solve. Pacesetter – your team waits and watches you engage. Rapid Responder – your team waits for you to jump in and solve the issues. Optimist – you don’t acknowledge or listen to the issues. Protector – you make excuses instead of holding people accountable. Strategist – you can give the full plan without having your team come up with ideas. Perfectionist – you want the work to be the best, so you criticize and critique so much the team gives up.   What kind of leader do you want to be known as?   Take time to read Liz Wiseman’s book, MULTIPLIERS, and make sure you are the leader that everyone wants to follow!   Audio: https://www.amazon.com/Multipliers-Revised-and-Updated-audiobook/dp/B06XXZSZRJ/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=604609652288&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9052487&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17365522108645842312&hvtargid=kwd-299835749748&hydadcr=22563_13493224&keywords=liz+wiseman+multipliers&qid=1697425723&s=books&sr=1-1   Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/Multipliers-Revised-Updated-Leaders-Everyone/dp/0062663070/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1697425723&sr=1-1 No one is perfect so let’s be real on where we fail and how we have grown from our mistakes.   Nothing changes, if nothing changes.   You are not alone, we want to engage with you.   Reach out to me directly [email protected] if I can be of any help.   *JOIN CCB TECHNOLOGY FOR A LIVE IT SECURITY EVENT ON MARCH 19TH* https://ccbtechnology.com/security-summit/ Register HERE Use discount code: Save50 – This will give you a $50 discount at registration.