From the archives — Fast Company asked me to do a bunch of “30 Second MBA” pieces back in 2012. This one is on handling mistakes as a manager. Thought I would post it to the SLINGSTONE Group blog as it is certainly relevant today.
Are you making enough mistakes in you business? Do corporate politics make it so people are afraid of making mistakes in your company? As I mention in the piece, you are not innovating if you don’t make mistakes. Playing it safe may be okay for some businesses at a given time, but ultimately it will catch up to them.
The important thing to remember as a manager is that most mistakes are not as bad as they may initially seem — they actually are learning moments. The quicker you acknowledge you made a mistake, fix it, learn from it, and move on, the better. Managers that have the confidence to make mistakes and take accountability for them when they happen are the leaders in an organization. And at at well run companies, you build your foundation for growth around them.
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