"The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way."...Dale Carnegie
We are all human beings, imperfect and prone to making mistakes. Some days, like yesterday, I make them even before I've taken my first sip of coffee! I let our dog out into the backyard as I always do early morning, but this time the gate was left open all night and I didn't check first. Then I proceeded to make a pot of coffee, unload the dryer, pour my coffee and finally sit down at my computer. Oh yeah, just before that I closed the kitchen door, not realizing our little Penny had not come back inside! Luckily, I soon realized something was missing that morning, like a little tongue licking my toes while I work, and after frantically waking up the household to help me go look for her, she was found safely a few houses up the street a few minutes later.
My mistake was at the time very painful to admit to my family. Mistakes that affect other people are often the most difficult to admit to and take responsibility for. In the middle of a crisis, whatever it is, the first response could be to finger point, blame others or make excuses. I could have easily blamed this on whomever left the gate open, or made an excuse for myself like it was dark outside or I was still sleepy. However, when we accept responsibility, we are accepting the blame for our actions and also accepting the responsibility for making changes and improvements in our lives. This applies to both our personal and professional lives. The manner in which we handle our errors makes all the difference.
Why is it so difficult to accept responsibility for our actions and admit our mistakes? Is it because we care so much for others to have a high opinion of us, that we feel we'll lose our sense of value and importance if someone discovered we're not perfect? This will only lead to insecurity and being unable to admit mistakes out of fear of being perceived as weak and losing the respect of others.
However taking responsibility is definitely not a sign of weakness, rather it earns you respect. Who would you have greater respect for, a person who takes responsibility for her actions, owns up to it and promises to do better in the future, or someone who continually denies involvement in situations when it's obvious they may be responsible? It is a sign of personal growth and maturity to own up to mistakes and accept responsibility for them. It is an important quality in leadership. A good leader will admit mistake and move on. A great leader will admit mistake, learn from it and never make it again.
In the work environment, perhaps it is the fear of the consequences that hold people back from admitting their errors and taking responsibility. I think this holds true no matter the occupation, from bank clerk to doctor. It may be a tough pill to swallow in the immediate, but better to do it and begin making amends than the alternative, which will only put your future career growth and reputation at risk. Having courage is also a quality of strong leadership.
Do you find you have a difficult time admitting mistakes and taking responsibility? Don't worry you're not alone and there is a lot you can do to change. In part two on my next blog, we will continue the discussion and learn the best ways to overcome this and you will soon feel yourself more vibrant and confident than ever before.
I will leave you with a short clip of whom I consider to be the epitome of a great leader on television, Captain Jean Luc Picard of Star Trek, The Next Generation. He believed "it is both our mistakes and triumphs that make us who we are today".
Cheers,
Linda
