During a recent meeting with one of my business partners, I asked why revenue was flat in a particular channel when everything else was up.
My partner looked me directly in the eyes and said, “It’s flat because I messed up.”
I smiled on the inside. There are a million different excuses my partner could have made but didn’t. Instead, he took full responsibility for the results of his decision — without being crushed by inordinate guilt. This is an ability I greatly admire.
One of the key traits successful entrepreneurs share is the ability to take responsibility for their actions. Ultimately, the men and women at the top are responsible for everything that happens in their companies. This includes not only successes, but also every mistake and failure. The sooner leaders learn to own up to their mistakes, the more quickly their companies are able to learn, adapt, and improve.
Why You Should Blame Yourself
It’s easy to lay blame on someone else, but this is a dangerous option — even if there’s some truth to that blame. People respect leaders who take responsibility. They are willing to follow these individuals.
If you earn a reputation as someone who’s always laying blame on others, people will quickly stop respecting and following you. Employees will become disheartened and discouraged, and they will be afraid to make decisions. You’ll end up with an army of robots who are completely incapable of acting without your approval.
Remember these tips for taking responsibility for your mistakes more effectively:
- Find the root cause. Successful entrepreneurs must be capable of digging down and discovering what caused a problem. Learn to identify the decision that led to the unwanted outcome. Once you find the cause, think about what you could have done better, and fix it.
- Create a learning opportunity. A mistake can be the absolute best educational tool as long as you learn from it. Figure out how you can improve, and use the mistake as a teaching tool within your organization.
- Gracefully embrace your shortcomings. This doesn’t mean you should be content with making mistakes, but you must be able to acknowledge your mistakes and talk about them without belittling yourself. Successful entrepreneurs don’t expect perfection from their employees, and they cannot expect it from themselves, either. If people know you’re OK with having imperfections and making mistakes, then they will be OK with your imperfections, too.
- Learn to predict. As an entrepreneur, you make numerous decisions and choices every day. You need to learn to anticipate what the real results of those decisions will be. Before making a decision, ask yourself the best- and worst-case scenarios that could result, and make sure you can live with the worst possibility. (You might be taking blame for it later.)
- Confidently take blame. If you can look someone in the eye and tell him something was your fault, why it was your fault, and what you are doing to fix it, you will earn his respect. This requires confidence in yourself and your abilities.
Having the courage to take blame for mistakes will build a foundation for your success. You will find ways to improve, and you will learn to pre-solve problems you didn’t even know existed.
Your company culture will benefit because your employees will not be hampered by fear. More importantly, you will be a more confident leader, capable of making the right decisions and correctly assessing risks.
I’ve had to stand up and take blame for problems and mistakes more times than I could possibly count. It’s never fun, but it is extremely empowering. Every time I take responsibility for something, I acknowledge that I have the power and ability to fix it. If you make a mess, you can clean it up. It’s way more difficult to clean up someone else’s mistakes and messes. I know that each time I take blame for something, our company will get better, and I will improve as a person.
It’s always easy to blame someone or something else for mistakes, but successful entrepreneurs rarely take the easiest way out. Be willing to accept the blame. Use it as motivation to improve personally and make your business better. You’ll earn the respect of your peers and employees, but more importantly, you’ll have more respect for yourself.