I came across an article in an industry magazine that talked about how companies react when things go wrong. They cited the recent very public grief that Toyota, BP and Goldman Sachs received over challenges they faced in regard to problems that came from within their own businesses, was of their own making, and required really careful handling. None of them handled it particularly well and suffered greatly as a result.

This led me to think of what team leaders can learn from their mistakes. Because we are sure of one thing – things will go wrong, we will make mistakes and we need to be prepared as leaders to deal with it. The repercussions of mishandling were and still are enormous to the organizations mentioned, but let’s not be smug about it, because we all have been guilty of making similar, if not so public, mistakes in our own role as leaders.

So, what do we do, when the inevitable happens? Here are five things I found that seems like they would be good options.

1. Get Out In Front Of It-FAST. We must be absolutely honest about the matter, with all the details that we are in possession of. Don’t try to “manage” the information. Don’t justify holding something back because “we can’t tell them that” type of excuse. Be absolutely honest, and be honest as fast as you possibly can. Delaying will always come across as hiding something.
2. Accept The Blame (Responsibility). Take it on the chin and don’t blame your suppliers, your outsourced workers, your competitors, the market or anything else. Just out your hand up and “fess up”. Anything else and you will sound weak.
3. Do Something. When I talk about action, I mean massive action!! Not just what makes you look good, or being seen to do the right thing. Do everything that you can possibly think of that will remedy the situation.
4. Be Honest. Don’t fall into “spin”. If what you are doing is working, then tell everyone. If it isn’t then tell everyone! It is highly likely that everyone will know whether the actions are working or not, so be honest. You will be respected for it. If the actions are not effective, then tell them about the corrective actions and why you are changing course.
5. Learn From Your Mistake. You want to teach the team a lesson, make the lesson you. When the dust has settled and the problem is solved, have a really good review with all the stakeholders of what was learned from the experience to prevent it happening in the future. This is not a witch hunt, it is not about blame and do not allow it to descend into a bitching session. This last rule is often forgotten as the inclination is just to move on and forget about the mess that happened. Do that and you miss fantastic learning for you as a leader, and for the team.

Some or maybe all of these things will be hard to do, but ya know what?  If Leadership was easy, we wouldn’t be commenting on a blog.

Surround yourself with peers that are leaders as well, and you will all benefit from each others successes and mistakes.

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Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Philippians 2:3

I got the rare opportunity to witness pre-teen girls in some of their natural habitat this week-end as I helped chaperone a lock-in for our Junior High School’s band, orchestra and choir. What I noticed was the 8th graders in the group interacting with the younger kids in a very approachable and pleasant manner. It started making me think about how I interact and how I have interacted with my team mates and followers.

I feel like a key to quality leadership is to not be conceited. I think being a leader has a code, kind of like a “Mancode”, sorry ladies, I couldn’t come up with a better example, and I think confidence is part of that. I think confidence in your position is part of that code, however …

Do Nothing from selfish ambition

As a leader you, should never put your own desires ahead of the mission, the team, or other team members. In other words, a leader should strive to have relationships built on mutual trust with his boss, his peers, and his subordinates. You may ask, but isn’t ambition critical to the success of any individual and for that matter any group or nation? Yes. But the key point in the Leader’s Code is the modifying term. The problem is not ambition but rather selfish ambition. A leader should never engage in selfish ambition. In my time in the military I have seen selfish ambition everywhere. Selfish ambition is characterized by a boss who adopts this attitude: “I am going to get ahead no matter how hard I have to make you work.” These are the leaders who take credit from subordinates, undermine peers, or spend ridiculous amounts of time lobbying their boss for recognition or “the next great position” in the organization. Healthy ambition is when someone says “I’m going to work my hardest to achieve a goal.” Selfish ambition states “no matter what happens I better get ahead because I am so special.”

Do nothing from conceit

Closely related to selfish ambition is conceit. The dictionary describes conceit as an excessively favorable opinion of one’s own ability, importance, wit, etc. In other words, the leader who operates from a position of conceit is the last guy you want to work for. The conceited leader thinks that he doesn’t really need input from the little people. Sure, he’ll allow you to voice an opinion in a staff meeting; but he has no real intention of listening to you because he is much smarter than you. How do you think he got this job? He’s supernaturally talented, that’s how! The self-importance of the conceited leader will also be evident. The conceited leader is always acutely aware of where he is sitting at the conference table; he is singularly focused on who talks the longest to the boss at a dinner party. People who work for the conceited leader will know what kind of pens he likes, what soda he drinks, and they will run themselves ragged trying to make sure everything is just right. In other words, the conceited leader is a boorish, self-important snob. He also has a tendency to make decisions based on what is good for him rather than the team. Sadly, conceited leaders seem to be everywhere.

In humility count others more significant than yourselves

Humility comes from a Latin word that carries a few meanings. Obviously, humility means humble but it also connotes “from the earth” or “grounded.” To put that simpler, humility for a leader means: remember where you came from. I’ve been blessed to hold many leadership jobs in my time in the military – but I started out as a Seaman. I’ve peeled potatoes; I’ve cleaned toilets. When I look at my military career, I am very thankful for the success I had. If someone had told me when I was a Seaman that someday I would be a leadership position with a Naval Special Warfare Team, I would not have believed it. I try really hard to never forget where I came from; because when I was a nobody, I still thought I was a somebody. And yet, I look around the world and more often than not I run into leaders who have literally forgotten where they came from. There are an awful lot of leaders who think the reason they got where they are is because they are special. These people have forgotten where they came from; they forget the breaks they got – or the help they received. They have no time for the “little people;” no respect for the janitor, and no patience for the mistakes made by teammates.

What kind of leader are you?

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