Owning Your Mistakes
Good Morning,In the recently completed 2018 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavilers and the Golden State Warriors, the Caviler’s J.R. Smith made a colossal blunder at the end of game 1. With less than 5 seconds remaining, Smith rebounded a missed free throw by George Hill and instead of shooting, passing to a teammate for a shot, or calling a timeout, he dribbled the ball toward center court effectively running out the clock. The problem was, the game was tied. Smith did not know the score and thought his team was ahead, so running out the clock would ensure victory. Instead, the game went to overtime and the Cavs lost soundly.What was even more embarrassing, was that J.R. did not own the bungle. He began making excuses for why he did what he did and with each one looked more and more laughable. He may have lost as much credibility for his denials than the on-court error itself.There is a big leadership lesson here. Own your mistakes. People, for the most part, do not expect you to be perfect. They understand that we all mess up from time to time. What they do expect however, is for us to take responsibility for those mistakes. Failure to do that alienates us from others and diminishes our credibility. On the other hand, owning our mistakes reveals humility, integrity and wisdom that bolsters morale and confidence.Phrases like, “I was wrong”, “I made a mistake”, and “That was my fault”, can be some of the most powerful leadership words we can utter. They help inspire others toward greater transparency, empower them to take risk, and build an atmosphere of freedom and entrepreneurism. All the while the leader gains respect.
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. Proverbs 28:13
Live this week on purpose,
