I was wrong

As I reflect on my 40+ career, with over half of it in leadership roles, I think about things that I did that made me different and potentially more effective than most leaders. 

One thing that stood out is related to my reflective nature.

If you’ve ever worked with or for me, you’ll know that it’s quite common for me to have a strong initial reaction or opinion to something. Imagine that.

Then, upon ongoing reflection…

I’ll come in the next day and say—

You know, I thought about your idea more

And you know what, I was wrong. I want to support your approach (idea, strategy).

The notion that I’m not stuck on my ideas I think opens up the creative process for folks. It creates safety and the knowledge that (over time) I can be open-minded 😉

I experienced that this level of vulnerability, my willingness to admit I was wrong, opened up my culture.

The key message here is for leaders. When was the last time you said to your teams, your peers, your boss, or yourself—

I was wrong, you have my full support, let’s do it your way?

Stay agile, my friends,

Bob.

BTW: It’s not always easy to say it, so I need to practice in the mirror each morning.