Is it important for you to always be right? Can you admit when you are wrong? The Colonels said, “It’s not weakness to admit when you are wrong, kid. The strongest of leaders are willing to say, ‘I was wrong’ and ‘I’m sorry.’”
It’s not a prerequisite for leadership to always be right. If it were, there would be no leaders because no one is always right! Admitting when you are wrong takes so much more strength and so much more character than not doing so. If you want your team to work effectively together—recognizing their own shortcomings, playing to each other’s strengths, admitting when they are wrong and being willing to make amends to each other—they have to see that behavior modeled by their leader. You need to be willing to acknowledge your weaknesses, failures, and errors and be willing to apologize, taking action to make things right.
I have often done consulting work for people who believe that admitting they are wrong shows weakness or ineptitude. Unfortunately, this backs them into a corner where they are always defending their poor choices, even when they themselves have come to recognize that they were wrong. In order to save face, they have to place blame elsewhere in order to prove themselves right. This mindset is toxic to a team and erodes trust.
As a leader, it is incumbent upon you to model a willingness to admit mistakes, own up to shortcomings, acknowledge when you are wrong and make amends every time it’s appropriate to do so.
Read Lauren’s Whitepaper on The Nine Essentials of Significant Leadership.
