956: LEADERSHIP MINDSET: The Leadership Advantage of Owning Your Failures & Fumbles

Episode notes

Public failures and fumbles are painful to say the least. I’ve recently had a handful of clients come to me feeling crushed after making a mistake, fumbling, or failing publicly. The most prominent outcome in all of their stories? SHAME. Their instinctual behavior to manage the shame? Hide, deny, or deflect. Fun fact, people don't actually trust leaders who never admit to making mistakes. Mistakes are a demonstration of humanity, authenticity, and vulnerability. We trust people who we see as human, fallible, and REAL. We trust people who aren't afraid to take accountability. We trust people who don't shy away from saying sorry. At the end of the day, our public mistakes don’t have to be the end of our credibility. In fact, they can become a powerful part of the evolution of our growth and credibility as a leader. In this episode, I’m digging into how public fumbles can actually make you a better leader, and I’ll walk you through the four steps (borrowed from restorative justice practices) to move through mistakes in a way that builds, rather than breaks, your credibility: Take responsibility for your part in the mess. Apologize for any harm done.