In my 6/26/09 post I discussed the importance of communication in effective leadership. In this post I want to narrow that topic to a discussion of how an effective leader communicates about and responds to failure. The quote that I want to share on this subject is from the previously quoted Captain D. Michael Abrashoff, the author of It’s Our Ship. The quote is about the very successful NFL coach Bill Walsh and his approach to handling failure and reads as follows, “One of the great lessons that the late Bill Walsh taught his 49ers was that a failure is less important than what you do to correct it.”
To error is to be human. We all make mistakes and we all use poor judgment on occasion. How we react to failure, our own and that of others, is a defining quality. You can lead with a roar, but how many are going to want to follow you and for how long? In my March 16, 2009, post I shared the following quote from Sir Winston Churchill, “Leadership is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” Maintaining a positive attitude in the face of failure is a part of what Bill Walsh and Captain Abrashoff are speaking to, but more importantly they speak to utilizing failure constructively … helping others to learn from their mistakes and to grow in the process. That is leadership.
An effectively led staff will rebound from mistakes-made and will forge on. An effectively led staff understands that success is often built on a foundation of failure. And an effectively led staff knows that there is no better way in which to learn than to learn from the mistakes we make. But none of this will exist if the leader does not set the example … through transparency re their own errors-made and through mentoring others to learn from their mistakes. Leaders do not point fingers … they willingly take ownership of their missteps and those made by the people they lead. In doing so, they create a workplace environment that is open and honest, which is absolutely essential to surfacing errors and corrective actions . All must understand that it is alright to make mistakes as long as we learn from those mistakes.
Once that environment exists, wherein everyone understands and believes that it is OK to make mistakes … this is when creativity and chance-taking flourish. And this is when the stage is set for unparalleled progress. But it all begins with the leader, who indeed prepares that stage.
Author Cross-references:
Captain D. Michael Abrashoff: Also see posts 5/17/09, 9/9/09
Sir Winston Churchill: Also see post 3/16/09
Key Word Cross-references:
Chance-taking: Also see posts 12/12/08, 3/25/09, 11/1/09, 3/12/10, 3/29/10
Communication/Effective Speaking: Also see posts 12/12/08, 3/4/09, 5/17/09, 6/26/09, 9/9/09, 11/20/09, 1/4/10, 1/29/10, 2/24/10
Creativity/Innovation: Also see posts 5/17/09, 1/4/10, 1/6/10, 3/12/10
Failure-Dealing With: Also see post 3/25/09
Inclusive/Open/Honest/Transparent: Also see posts12/12/08, 4/20/09, 5/1/09, 8/3/09, 10/26/09, 11/11/09, 1/29/10, 2/24/10, 5/26/10
Mentoring/Nurturing/Developing: Also see posts 12/8/08, 12/12/08, 1/13/09, 2/6/09, 2/28/09, 6/5/09, 9/9/09, 9/15/09, 10/26/09, 12/5/09, 1/6/10, 3/10/29
Optimist/Positive Attitude: Also see posts 2/19/09, 3/16/09, 3/25/09, 12/5/09, 2/24/10
Setting the Example: Also see posts 12/12/08, 1/13/09, 3/16/09, 5/1/09, 5/17/09, 6/5/09, 8/17/09, 2/24/10
Workplace Environment: Also see posts 12/12/08, 1/28/09, 2/6/09, 2/19/09, 8/3/09, 9/9/09, 1/6/10, 4/19/10
Tags: Leadership
on Leadership ... by Steven Davis, CAE 
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