The slip-up, though, should be relatively minor. Spilling something on oneâs jacket or making a small mistake can make people more relatable. A mistake that is more central to the job at hand will likely be viewed more negatively.
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The study revealed that mistakes themselves are neither good nor bad. Their impact hinges on the broader context. When incompetent people made mistakes, it just reinforced otherâs already negative impressions. It was more of the same.
When competent people made mistakes, though, it had the opposite effect. Successful people are hard to identify with. They seem so perfect that itâs hard to connect. And thatâs why mistakes can help. Because when otherwise competent people make a mistake once in a while, it humanizes them. It makes them more real, which makes them more likable.
As long as someone is already perceived as competent, acknowledging mistakes can be beneficial.
Since then, every time I feel Iâve made a mistake, I talk about it fully, publicly, and frequently. I quickly came to see the biggest advantage of sunshining a leaderâs errors is to encourage everyone to think of making mistakes as normal. This in turn encourages employees to take risks when success is uncertain . . . which leads to greater innovation across the company. Self-disclosure builds trust, seeking help boosts learning, admitting mistakes fosters forgiveness, and broadcasting failures encourages your people to act courageously⌠Humility is important in a leader and role model. When you succeed, speak about it softly or let others mention it for you. But when you make a mistake say it clearly and loudly, so that everyone can learn and profit from your errors. In other words, âWhisper wins and shout mistakes.
Chapter Three: To Err Is Human
âMany slips occur due to inattention. Did you offend the friend because you didnât think carefully before you spoke? Making assumptions is another source of error. As for the job youâd expected to landâhadnât you impressed the interviewer? Your rapport, experience, and qualifications seemed perfect. Maybe you were overconfident, which can result in mistakes. Meanwhile, the clogged gutters on your roof that led to leaks into your basement and damaged the foundation? You were going to get those gutters cleaned as soon as
you had a spare moment. Neglect is yet another common cause of failure.
You have to know the people youâre working with. Some people are totally pragmatic about criticism; correct them privately and without emotion, and theyâll receive the reproach in exactly the spirit in which itâs offered. Three minutes later, theyâll have apologized for the mistake, taken the note, and the two of you will have moved on to chatting about last nightâs Mets game.
Other folks are sensitive to criticism. This isnât necessarily a negative characteristicâitâs usually an indication they want to do a good job and feel deeply wounded at any suggestion that they havenât. But those people are going to react, no matter what you say or how gently and diplomatically you say it, so youâd better spend some time planning exactly how youâre going to deliver the feedback. And youâd be wise to budget time to spend with them afterward, so you can sit with them and let them know that theyâre still loved.
Then there are the people who canât or wonât hear what youâre saying unless it comes with a little thunder. If your reprimand is too mild and conversational, they wonât believe youâre serious. With these people, youâre going to have to get into it a little bit, even if thatâs not your usual managerial style.