Some mistakes aren’t as cut and dried as forgetting to tell the team that a deadline

changed or transposing a number in a balance sheet. 

Some are more difficult to pinpoint, such as allowing confusion to rule on a team,
running unfocused or unproductive meetings, making poor hiring and firing decisions, or
failing to give and receive feedback

When employees are asked to describe their favorite leaders, they often use words
such as humble, apologetic, transparent and willing to ask for help, McHargue says. 

“The best leaders are willing to be vulnerable and say to their team, ‘Here’s a mistake I
made, and here’s how we’re going to fix it.’ 

Leaders who adopt a growth mindset know that mistakes are part of the process. They
and their teams can learn from blunders and slip-ups. Admitting to mistakes can set the
stage for an open dialogue with employees and team members, Perkins says. It also
acknowledges that no one is infallible.

“People will respect you when you’re honest and show that you’re human,” she says. 

In fact, employees believe their direct supervisor is more effective when he or she
frames failures and mistakes as growth opportunities

Leaders should also evaluate the magnitude of the mistake and admit what damage it might
have caused. “Don’t be afraid to process the issue and to communicate in the most transparent
way possible,” Orbé-Austin says. Team members will appreciate the candor and will be more
committed to their leader as a result.

veryone makes mistakes, even business leaders. But not every high-level executive
wants to fess up to his or her shortcomings. 

When leaders don’t take responsibility for their errors, it can have a negative effect on
employee morale, says Julie Gurner, an executive performance coach in New York
City. 

Many business leaders focus on developing their business skills but not their people
skills, making it harder for them to admit fault when they should, she says.

Here are practical tips to help leaders who struggle with how to respond after they’ve
made a mistake. 
Own your mistake. If leaders lose their temper or blame others, they should admit their
error and apologize. Team members get frustrated when a leader holds them
accountable but glosses over or refuses to take responsibility for his or her own
mistakes, says Richard Orbé-Austin, a psychologist and partner at Dynamic Transitions
Psychological Consulting LLP in New York City and co-author of Own Your Greatness:
Overcome Impostor Syndrome, Beat Self-Doubt, and Succeed in Life (Ulysses Press,
2020). 

Ignoring a mistake can be demoralizing and corrosive to the team.

“We’re all human, and we all make mistakes,” says Tammy Perkins, chief people officer
at PMI Worldwide, a Seattle-based food and beverage container manufacturer. “Keep in
mind that the moment you say or do something, it becomes a fact with your employees,
so it’s important that you own it and take responsibility for it.” 

The worst thing leaders can do is to minimize their mistake, ignore it or try to blame it on
others. “A sincere apology can make a difference in your relationship with your team
and reinforce trust,” Perkins says. Leaders should make a straightforward apology with
no qualifications, she and other experts say. For example:

“I’m sorry that I …” (Explain the mistake.)

“I understand that it caused …” (Explain the impact.)

“I can only imagine what impact it caused to …” (Explain how it affected a specific
person or group.)

Manage your reaction. If leaders don’t confront and control their emotions, it will be
difficult to communicate the problem and solution clearly to their team, says Brooke
Wachtler, a licensed psychologist and president and founder of BEW Consulting and
Training LLC in New York City. 

“When we make mistakes, it’s normal to feel frustrated, embarrassed or ashamed,” she
says. “But if we let these emotions drive our reactions, we aren’t going to be as effective
at problem-solving and communicating.” 

Beware of your blind spots. Instead of insisting on being right or blaming others for an
error, leaders should consider alternative viewpoints and be willing to accept new
information, even if it contradicts their current beliefs.

Leaders will often make assumptions about the mistake, why it happened and who
caused it because they’re viewing the situation from their own perspective, says
Jennifer Quasha Deinard, a certified professional coach and founder of Jot Coaching &
Consulting LLC in Greenwich, Conn. 
“When we’re assessing a situation, we have to make an effort to make sure there aren’t
any gaps in our thinking,” she says. Leaders should take time to clarify what actually
happened by asking the people they’re working with to share their recollection of
events.

Determine why the mistake was made. Before leaders talk with staff, they should take
time to reflect on their mistake, identifying what it was and how it happened, Deinard
says. 

“Clarify what happened, clarify how it happened and determine what exactly has to
happen next for those issues to be resolved,” she says.

Communicate clearly. It’s important for leaders to be as clear as possible when

discussing their mistakes with colleagues and team members. Before meeting with staff,
they should know exactly what they want to say. Wachtler recommends leaders be able
to outline the following:

 Clearly define the mistake.

 State the necessary next steps to recover from the mistake.
 Delegate those steps.
 Seek input from their team on how to move forward and avoid the same mistake
from happening again.
What makes you trustworthy as a leader is not whether you make a mistake at all. You
are bound to make some because real leadership enters into the  area of unknown
outcome. It’s whether you are capable of owning your mistakes – and if you can
handle them with honesty, integrity and grace.
The best leaders don’t become less trustworthy when they make a mistake. They
become more trusted – precisely because of how they owned and managed the
process.

Ultimately, making a mistake or judgment in error is a reflection of having been

willing to take the decisions that come at both risk and opportunity.
What matters is the ability to allow the humanness to acknowledge your mistakes
cleanly without covering them up, displacing blame or overly internalizing and
dramatizing the mistake.
Beyond owning the mistake, leadership actions are mitigating the damage, learning
from your mistakes, openly working with your team to address solutions, helping
others to avoid the same mistake and moving onwards.
A mistake is a mistake. The process of navigating the mistake can be a stepping stone
towards greater trust, respect and admiration as a leader. As with anything, it’s how
you handle it that makes the difference.