5 Things I HAVE to do as a Leader – Part 1

This week I want to spend some time talking about 5 things that I HAVE to do as a leader. They’re not the most enjoyable things that I do in a week’s time, but they are definitely essential to keeping morale high and attention focused among the team on what’s most important!

#1: I HAVE to Own My Mistakes.

I told you this wouldn’t be fun! One of the temptations of being the leader of any organization is the luxury to fake it, when you blow it. But pretending you’re perfect doesn’t fool anybody. Owning when I screw up is a huge deal for me.

The Sooner the Better. I have learned that letting mistakes linger without ownership, deteriorates my leadership. It usually ends with someone saying, “We were wondering if you were going to own that…” For me, the sooner the better on owning my mess ups.

I always want to say, “I’m sorry” faster than others. When I have missed an expectation or blown a decision that is effecting someone on my team adversely, I want to beat them to the “I’m sorry” part. I don’t want to squeak it in there as an after thought.

I want my team to know that I’m not too proud to own my mistakes.

? Do you own mistakes quickly? Or are you more prone to hesitate to say, “I blew it!”?

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt