52 Leadership Tips- #24
Quick Recovery
Great leaders must be great at quick recovery. Why, because solid leaders are not afraid to make mistakes, and when the idea turns into a mistake you must recover quickly. I personally believe that making mistakes is a great thing. Sound odd? Well, I think that if you are not making mistakes then you are not truly leading out. Anyone can sit back and be very cautious and not make a mistake, but is that leading? No, not how I see it.
But, just being willing to make a mistake is not where it ends for great leaders. Step one is being willing to make a mistake; step two is being able to recover quickly from the mistake.
Here are 5 tips on how to recover from a mistake:
After the mistake is identified there are going to be many that need to know about it. Do not try and hide it or lie about it, communicate it. Be open and honest about your mistake!
Next, you must rally the troops to make a quick recovery. Do not wait, do not put it off, do it instantly. There are surely different levels of mistakes; none-the-less, to make a quick and effective recovery you must change direction fast. Rallying the appropriate troops will assist with the game plan change.
Making mistakes in my opinion is a great thing. However, there is a second step in the process that makes it a great thing. That second step is learning from your mistakes. John Maxwell has a great book entitled Failing Forward: How to Make the Most of Your Mistakes, I recommend you read it if you have not.
This is one of the most important steps. You must repeat, and continue to step out and lead even after mistakes. Continue to take risks and step out and lead out! Do not crumble to fear or become overly cautious! Learn from your mistakes and keep going.
Next week, Quick Recovery Part II...properly dealing with the mistakes you team or staff make.
tags: leadership
what is a tag?