Admitting Your Mistakes, Your Key to Maturing as a Leader
Would you rather die than admit you made a mistake?
Swallowing the Bitter Pill of Your Mistakes Helps You Grow as a Leader.
- Admitting Your Mistakes Strengthens Your Integrity
- Gain Respect of Your Boss and Team
- Forgive Yourself
Owning up to your misjudgment builds integrity — your inner truth compass to doing good — even if no one is looking.
People’s inability to admit mistakes is sometimes born out of a defensive measure brought about by anxiety. Because of fear, some people will always be inclined to seek a haven in deception, to preserve their ego.
Due to the competitive nature of office environments, sometimes the fear of making one crucial mistake is overwhelming. You might get fired, the funding for your project might get pulled out, or your fat 30% raise might be cut in half. In any case, you have a lot to lose, not to mention the admiration of your boss and team.
In the long run, however, the truth will come out. Whatever admiration and respect your co-workers had will be replaced by distrust. It’s better to admit your mistakes now, while you have a chance to make amends or at least minimize damage.
“To err is human, to forgive is divine,” this is a famous maxim by Alexander Pope. Let this maxim remind you that mistakes are part of life, and that admitting your mistakes is akin to accepting who you are. Don’t hate yourself for your lapse in judgment. It’s normal for you to feel ashamed of your mistakes, but don’t let it affect your life for years.
When You Admit Your Faults, You Accept Your Limitations.
How can you expect people to treat you fairly when you’re not being fair to yourself? When you admit to our own faults, you are also accepting your limitations.
Mistakes are not present in humanity just for the heck of it. The tumultuous process of growing as a leader is never complete without the act of admission. Learn to love it and do it as often as necessary until you develop a thick skin that doesn’t shy from mistakes.