Leaders also have the right to make mistakes. The difference between good and great leaders is in the way they approach these mistakes.
What do you show others when you make a mistake? Keep in mind that your employees notice your wrong steps and that their level of trust in you depends on how you deal with these mistakes. Here are some simple but effective ways to show leadership skills when you make a mistake.
Admit your mistakes
Never try to cover up your own mistakes and shift the blame for your personal failures onto someone else. The best thing you can do when you make a mistake is to admit it and take responsibility. Insecure leaders think this will make them look weak, but denying and seeking excuses puts them in a much worse light and leads to a loss of respect for their employees. I believe that vulnerability is the most underestimated quality of leaders. When you admit your mistakes, you give a human face to your management and show the people you lead that you are no different.
Take a lesson
Once you make a mistake, try to draw the necessary conclusions so that you do not repeat this mistake in the future. At the heart of great leadership is taking risks, learning new things, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible. The best leaders know that creativity and innovation often require breaking the rules and learning by trial and error. Being creative means allowing yourself to make mistakes, and being a leader means learning from them.
Allow others to learn from your mistakes
The moments when we feel most vulnerable and powerless can be the moments when we have the greatest strength to help others by giving them advice and sharing our experiences, whether good or bad. One of the most useful things you can do when you make a mistake is to share with others what you have learned. The best leaders are great teachers, coaches, and leaders who show us the right way after they have walked it.
Keep going
Success is about action. Successful people do not stay in one place for long. They make many mistakes, but they never give up. Learn to use failures as springboards to take you away from the past. This does not mean forgetting your mistakes, but moving on. We are all doomed to make mistakes. However, when we do well with them, they can help us be better leaders and better people.
