The Importance of Admitting Mistakes as a Manager

Role of Manager in an Organization

Managers play an important role in ensuring that an organization runs smoothly. Managers’ job is to increase the effectiveness of their teams, projects, and organization as a whole. Managers are largely relied upon by businesses to build and impact the culture of their workplace. Since there is so much on the line for which a company relies on a single individual, it is only natural for them to make mistakes. However, admitting mistakes as a manager must be difficult given that the team regards them as mentors. As a result, this episode of the Manager Tools podcast covers the importance of admitting mistakes as a manager and the influence it has on the team.

Importance of Admitting Mistakes as a Manager

The episode opens by emphasizing the importance of managers improving transparency and developing trust with their workers. According to the episode, the best way to improve candor and develop trust is to communicate honestly with your colleagues. The episode suggests that candor can only be increased among a team if the leader is upfront when communicating and willing to speak the truth even if it is about some risk or a mistake. It is believed that revealing your own mistakes as the team leader is the cornerstone of having productive discussions regarding risks and failures. According to the episode, the first step toward gaining your team’s trust is openly admitting mistakes as a manager.

However, the episode clearly implies that such talks should be held in person rather than by email since they are more productive that way. It is also advised since emails have the potential to be leaked. To avoid such flaws, it is preferable to communicate any critical information with your team face-to-face. According to the episode, admitting mistakes as a manager is not as difficult as it appears. It only addresses a lot of problems that can be properly handled after you discuss them with your team. According to the episode, while apologizing may appear intimidating, admitting a mistake and apologizing for it are two very different things.

Finally, owning up to your mistakes as a manager develops trust and a sense of comfort among the team, which only helps with the seamless execution of work.

Conclusion

To set an example for their team, managers must own up to their mistakes, in the same manner, they would like their staff to do so. The previous material explains why admitting mistakes as a manager is crucial and its possible impact on the team.