Given the enormous number of decisions leaders make throughout the year, it is only a matter of time before they lay an egg. A few bad decisions in the crate of good ones are virtually guaranteed. A policy decision with unintended negative effects. A process that creates resistance because of its complexity. A strategy that underperforms and underwhelms. An organizational message that demotivates and produces backlash.
Leaders with strong egos have a nasty habit of doubling down on poor decisions and insisting it is only a matter of time before the idea takes hold or the resistance blows over. Strong leaders know better and they see an edge in acknowledging they made a mistake. Admitting mistakes, large and small, shows leaders to be human. We naturally respect leaders who are willing to admit they made a misstep. The best leaders know a secret: perhaps nothing enhances a leader’s credibility more than owning up to a bad decision and revoking it publicly.
