2022 · originally posted on LinkedIn
I made a mistake this week at work. I overlooked an important task in December that my team needed to know about and complete with some priority. It was an error I could not fix on my own. Sadly, it wasn't work I could take on for them, so heroicism was off the table. The tricky piece here was that it was an error on my part without any consequence on me for my oversight. It hasn't had any serious or concerning repercussions for my team either, but I could have done better.
I started with the basics: an apology, taking responsibility, and doing my part to keep the faith and trust as best I could. Leaders are human and we absolutely make mistakes, but I knew there was more to show my team from my oversight. Self-deprecating humour is already in overdrive now and I hope to be one of many members of our team who teases me about this misstep into the foreseeable future. Laughter is a very effective means of human connection. When it's at my expense, all the better.
Deep down, I know that I only hire brilliant people who are deep feelers and hard workers. I aspire to stay out of their way as much as possible. This week, I got in the way. Not the email I misinterpreted. Not the oversight I made when overtired before the holidays. Not any other excuse that may seem convenient to put blame on. It's important to me that they know it's wholly on me to make amends for that. I should be challenged, held accountable, and take on whatever is necessary to rebuild the trust no matter how patient or forgiving they may be with me on this particular issue.
In part as a result, I'm taking on self-imposed punishment this morning. I'll be virtually riding up a mountain. Ruta de las Presas, the Valley of Tears, a brutal 1000 meter climb on Gran Canaria. My bike is going to be covered in struggle and sweat for a solid hour and a half on the way up.
One thing I do know for certain is that embracing my errors and mistakes with actions, words, and entertainment at my own expense shows them my commitment to being the best I can be for them. I don't like hill climbs one bit. What I despise even more though is the prospect of letting my team down without any personal consequences and learnings from it. Maybe that's at the heart of what leadership's really all about. Regardless, up we go.