Leading Your Team: Apologize, Apologize, Apologize

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I’m the chief apologizer in my office. Not because I screw up more than anybody else (OK, maybe that has something to do with it), but mostly because, as the boss, there are times when I get unnecessarily frustrated and wind up taking it out on my team. Last week I went to the dentists and had to return several times due to severe pain. This got the best of me and I wasn’t the nicest person in the office. My frustration bar was at an all-time low and it got crossed many times. I’m embarrassed to even mention some of the things that set me off, so I won’t, but needless to say that my team almost voted me off the island.

Being the leader often means apologizing the most. The rest of the team take their cues from you. I love my team, everybody does a fantastic job and the last thing I want is for one of them to “call in quit” because of my asininity, a temporary defect in my judgement resulting in defective actions. These things happen to all of us, and when it does, I apologize. Apologies don’t make everything better, but they do let your team know that you recognize your errors and don’t plan on repeating them (often).

Keep a healthy team. Apologize when you screw up. They still might vote you off the island but they’ll do it with respect.

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Tags: Business Principles, Search & Marketing
Posted in Business Principles, Search & Marketing