Somehow in the workplace we’ve equated being a good leader with being infallible… with never making a mistake or a misstep. I gotta be honest, that sounds EXHAUSTING to me! I would argue that one of the most important characteristics of being a great leader, is showing that it’s ok to make mistakes. That it’s ok to be wrong. To take risks that didn’t work out the way we hoped. To give us permission to be human as we strive to serve our customers and our users.
Consider this
During an Australian Open tennis match in March of 2020, star player Rafael Nadal returned an out-of-bounds serve and absolutely (and quite accidentally) CLOBBERED ball-girl, Anita Birchall in the head. Now mind you, Rafael did nothing WRONG. It just happened. but it impacted poor Anita.
The referee checked in to make Anita was OK, even as clearly shook Anita (who is definitely a
boss-girl) scanned her zone to see if the ball (that had just bounced off the side of her face, mind you) needed retrieval! The ball had ended up in a different ball-girl’s zone, so Anita was off the hook, but still…!
Now I could pivot off of this point and write this post about persevering through adversity. About shaking off the impediments and powering through to get the job done! It would make a compelling post, don’t you agree?
But I’m not. I’m going to play the circumstances forward just a few seconds. I’m going to pick up the story where Rafael, who had done absolutely nothing wrong recognized what had just transpired. Where Rafael, in a moment of humanity, empathy and care for a fellow human being, walked across the court to check on Anita, apologize to her, and to offer a moment of kindness and compassion. It completely turned a “holy cow, did you see that” moment, into a “oh my gosh, what an amazing moment.”
In that moment Rafael showed his humanity. He was vulnerable. He acknowledged that he was part of a chain of events that turned out “not so great” for another human being, even though he wasn’t at fault. He turned a situation that was not-so-great, into something that was special. He made a moment of awesomeness for another human being.
Just watch the video (it’s short) and ask yourself… why is it so hard to be vulnerable, and show our humanity where we work? Why is it so hard to admit a mistake, or say that something failed? I sometimes wonder if it really is hard, or we just make it hard.
Something to think about.
Leaders, I’m talking to you now. You set the tone. You set the pace. You reinforce the culture. Are you making “Rafael Moments” like the one in this extraordinaire situation? Are you showing your teams that mistakes and failures are a part of what we do. That they are moments of learning? Opportunities to grow? Great teams need permission to make mistakes, or you’ll be holding them back from their true potential. Great leaders need to give themselves permission to make mistakes.
Be a strong leader… be vulnerable. Give yourselves and your teams permission to make mistakes. To be human.
We all win together!
Coach Dan
Coach Dan Blog 