Leadership Series - Part II - Own Your Mistakes

This is the second of what will probably be a multi-part series (see list of potential topics) of short essays on the people side of management/parenting. Comments are welcome!

Unless you are infallible, you have probably made a mistake or two in your life. I know I have! Even Spider Man made a huge mistake when he allowed Tobey Maguire to play him in the movie. I mean c'mon. Tobey Maguire! Really!??

I made many mistakes during my career. I had bosses who made many as well. Didn't someone once say, "If you aren't making mistakes, you aren't doing anything?" The great thing about mistakes is that we can learn from them. We can also learn when our boss makes a mistake. I felt I learned something every day during my career. Sometimes it was by doing something I would try to do again. Sometimes it was by doing or watching someone else do something that I resolved never to try again.

But I think we all know that we can learn from our mistakes. The key issue that I want to address here is owning our mistakes when we make them. Management and yes, parenting, are all about gaining respect and credibility. And there is nothing that does that faster than admitting we have made a mistake when we make one. It is fun to accept kudos and we are all willing to do that. It is not so much fun when we make a mistake and have to own up to it. Yet, by doing so, it shows the individuals around us that we are prepared to admit our mistakes and move on. It takes a very big person to do that.

There is another reason for owning our mistakes. If we try to hide from it or blame it on someone else, it can be very debilitating. It can be like an anchor that we are carrying around, hoping no one will find out that we are the one responsible for the mistake.

There used to be an unseen individual living at our house whose name was "Not Me." Whenever something happened it was usually Not Me who was responsible. I am very sure that Not Me has many brothers and sisters living out there in various households and offices. Eventually, with age and maturity, Not Me was replaced by the equally popular but more appreciated Yes It Was Me.

Making mistakes and moving forward are the keys to a brilliant future. That is why we have come as far as we have. Man didn't land on the moon without a few mistakes along the way. But admitting them is the key to building credibility and respect and that is equally important. For as someone by the name of Lawrence G. Lovasik one said, "Any fool can try to defend his mistakes--and most fools do--but it gives one a feeling of nobility to admit one's mistakes. By fighting, you never get enough, but by yielding, you get more than you expected."