Leadership Lesson: Own It
Leadership is about owning it.
Yes, the good, bad, and ugly.
Case in point, Tatiana and I received an apology letter from a former coach of ours this week.
He coached for us a few years ago as our Head Coach.
Good-hearted dude but made some poor choices, became negative, dropped some balls, and then had an adverse reaction to accountability.
It wasn’t a fun situation or ending to his employment. It created friction for the team and clients.
Sadly, sometimes it’s how these things go in working with young teammates.
To clear the air though.
Heaven knows I pulled a couple of not-so-smart moves in my mid-20s working on teams. So not here to cast stones.
In fact, here to do the opposite.
It was refreshing for Tatiana to review the apology email.
It was simple but effective.
He owned his actions and apologized for them with sincerity.
While it was nice to receive for us, the big value was for him so hats off.
He just gained perspective, growth and credibility with himself which will serve him well in the future.
This is my leadership message today.
As a leader, you will make mistakes.
This is part of the journey.
But when you do and come to that realization, promptly admit, own it, and apologize.
When you do, you free yourself and others.
This is leadership.
Onward.
