the art of leading

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Everyone commits mistakes everyday. True leaders pride themselves on their capacity to learn out of them. But not everyone has the same attitude when faced with this situation. I believe there are three basic ways to respond to your own mistakes:

1. Deny, repeat - Many people are conditioned to automatically deny any wrongdoing. They think that if they admit to it, somehow their dignity and reputation will diminish. Consequently, they are bound to endlessly repeat the same mistake over and over again, since there won’t be a chance to extract any lesson out of it.

2. Admit, blame, repeat - Some people actually admit that a mistake has taken place. The actual act of recognition may be somewhat positive. The problem is, being aware of a problem won’t make it more valuable than denying it. After recognizing the mistake, these people usually just find someone to blame for it, feeling that perhaps they have done something of value. Then they just go right into repeating it, since they still haven’t learned anything.

3. Admit, learn, act - This is the spot where true leaders need to be in. Bad things happen. You may try to prevent them, as well you should, but some mistakes are bound to occur. The difference lies in the attitude toward them. As a leader you must first be aware that you have committed a mistake. Then you must create an opportunity for learning out of it. No true leader lets a mistake go by without extracting something of value. Finally, that lesson must be put into action. This will make you less prone to letting the same thing happen again. And that is a mark of the true leader.

Categories : Failure, General Leadership, Proactivity //