Every company experiences mistakes. These provide some of the best employee teachable moments.
Most mistakes aren't fatal; they won't result in a company closing its doors or defending itself in a lawsuit. While they may be costly and inconvenient, they also provide a fantastic opportunity to elevate leadership and to make the company stronger.
One of my clients recently received a less-than-stellar rating during an audit. Consequently, they had to reach out to many clients to inform them of the audit, and steps they would take to rectify the deficiencies.
My client asked for my guidance in navigating this challenge. Here's what I shared.
2.)
Be in it with your people.
Whatever has happened, remember that you are part of the company. You don't just lead it. If an employee is responsible for a negative outcome, they are already worrying about their job security. This is the time to focus on understanding what has happened rather than on shaming someone or stripping away another person's dignity.
4.)
Schedule a collaborative debrief.
Remain focused on your desired outcomes: learning how to prevent this problem in the future, and maintaining a culture of trust and self-accountability.
We break down debriefs into 3 segments:
- How did we get here? What missteps occurred and what safeguards were missed?
- Now that we are here, what must we do to get out of this situation? What is the detailed plan of action to fix the impact?
- What do we do moving forward to avoid this position in the future? What process or organizational changes must we implement immediately?
5.)
Establish rules for your debrief.
Rules that we use include maintaining confidentiality, prohibiting personal attacks, recognizing every contributor's input as valid, and staying focused on solutions rather than blame.
6.)
Recap the lessons learned and share.
Once the debrief concludes, recap your lessons learned and share with your entire team.
So often, our over-reactions to problems or disagreements become more problematic than the actual problem because we react emotionally.
Especially in times of difficulty, it's crucial to maintain our composure.
What Not to Do When The Sky is Falling
The most emotionally grounded leaders avoid these reactions in times of trouble:
1.)
They minimize or hide the problem.
It's painful and time-consuming to deal with adversity, especially when it may require us to stop, re-calibrate, and inform others of what's happening. To move through a problem as quickly as possible, leaders should inform everyone with appropriate and relevant information.
2.)
They go straight into the blame game.
Rarely does a single person own a problem. Before placing anyone on the chopping block, leaders should check their emotions at the door and do their research to learn how the company arrived at its current state.
3.)
They delegate and disappear.
Strong leaders don't abandon their team when there is an issue. They are in it with them until resolution so everyone feels supported.
Run a company long enough, and you will hit some disruptive snags. With experience, we learn to move through them with minimal disruption.
(This column originally ran in Inc. Magazine. You can access the original column
here
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