What do you do if your response to failure as a leader is causing more harm than good?

All leaders have failures in their journeys. What sets apart the good ones is how they deal with failure. The starting point is accepting responsibility & taking full ownership of the failure....no blaming/finger pointing. Focusing on the learnings from the failure creates a growth mindset, and a psychological safe space where people don't feel attacked or have to spend energy in protecting them/their reputations. They all come together to tackle the problem at hand with motivation and an all-in approach. An example : How India's Lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 failed (2019) and how the ISRO Chairman R Sivan handled the shattered morale of his team. They focused on what they learnt from the failure to launch a very successful 2023 mission.

Definitely agree with acknowledging mistakes. I would like to add, as a leader take the initiative to share ownership in any individual or group effort. Under pressure, it’s easy to find what went wrong and immediately point the finger at who’s to blame. In my personal leadership style, I co-own every loss in my team (and stepping back to allow moments for others to shine without my taking any credit). In losing seasons, and we all have them, it’s critical for each member of the team to feel they have support to do better and not just the burden of accountability.

If your response to failure as a leader is exacerbating harm, it's crucial to reassess your approach and pivot towards constructive solutions. Acknowledge your role in the situation, prioritize transparency, and foster a culture of learning and resilience within your team. Seek feedback, implement necessary changes, and demonstrate accountability to rebuild trust and steer the team toward positive outcomes.

True Accepting responsibility and fostering a culture of learning from failures are essential traits of effective leaders. By focusing on lessons learned rather than blame, they create an environment where everyone can contribute without fear of reprisal, ultimately leading to more cohesive and motivated teams.

Reflect on Your Response: Take time to reflect on how you typically respond to failure as a leader. Consider whether your reactions are constructive or destructive, and examine how they affect your team's morale, confidence, and trust in your leadership. Seek Feedback: Solicit honest feedback from your team members, peers, and mentors about your leadership style and response to failure. Listen with an open mind and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Acknowledge Mistakes: Demonstrate vulnerability and humility by acknowledging your own mistakes and shortcomings as a leader. Admitting when you've made errors can help build trust and credibility with your team and set a positive example for accepting responsibility.

This is my point of focus i always believe feedback is the fastest way to handle this i even think it should be the first point cause it is according to the feedback that you eventually discover what are the real mistakes cause here it's seen by another eye other than your's with a different perspective. Nevertheless, i will say reading others articles enables you to stand out and identify concretely what is the issue.

Is very important that a leader be ground and and have connection and open communication with his team to identify the failures and have their honest feedback and recommendations Sometime leaders create a shield and isolate themself , and there is when a leader can get the most impact because loses the contact with the reality Having the hones and franc communication with all the organization and setting mechanisms to hear their opinions is key in fixing what ever has to be fixed

Seek Feedback: Encourage open and honest feedback from your team members and peers. Listen to their perspectives on your leadership style and how you handle failure.

After acknowledging a mistake, seek feedback from your team. Ask for their views on the issue and improvement suggestions. This process values team members' contributions, offering diverse insights and practical solutions that may have been missed. Constructive feedback is vital for leadership, transforming mistakes into learning opportunities.

After acknowledging the mistake, actively seek feedback from your team. This demonstrates your willingness to learn and course-correct. Open conversations allow you to understand the impact of your actions and identify areas for improvement. Encourage honest feedback by creating a safe space for your team to share their perspectives. Listen attentively and avoid interrupting. This feedback will be instrumental in understanding how your response is affecting the team and guide you in taking the necessary steps to rebuild trust and move forward effectively.

Learn from the failures A true leader see those failures opportunities to grow Making corrections on time and learning from the mistakes and involving the entire organizations in that journey,can motivate your employees tho be more proactive in solving the situation , proposing solutions

Analyze Objectively: Take a step back and objectively analyze the situation. Identify what went wrong, why it happened, and what could have been done differently.

After receiving feedback, analyze the situation without bias, focusing on facts. Identify the root cause of the problem by examining what led to the failure, any warning signs, and if it could have been prevented. This objective approach helps identify systemic issues and informs strategies to avoid future mistakes, all without assigning blame.

To analyse objectively sometimes you need to have an accountability partner which helps you to accept the result of your review and offer support because sometimes honestly it can be a hard pill to swallow but your accountability partner will help with that process. You can also use a coach to walk through that process of objective analysis of your response and what needs to change.

Analizar objetivamente la situación tras recopilar retroalimentación es crucial. Se trata de enfocarse en los hechos y entender la causa raíz del problema, evitando las emociones y la culpa. Este enfoque permite identificar y corregir problemas sistémicos, y desarrollar estrategias para prevenir futuros fallos, lo cual es esencial para el aprendizaje y la mejora continua.

After understanding failures, implement changes—alter processes, offer training, adjust goals. Communicate these clearly, showing commitment to improvement, not as punishment. This inspires team confidence and loyalty, demonstrating a proactive approach to leadership and growth.

Implement Changes: Based on your analysis, implement changes to your approach and behavior. This could involve adjusting your leadership style, communication methods, or decision-making processes.

Once you identify the failure and make the proper due diligence to see the root cause of it and the solution, the next step is to prepare a plan and fix the problem One of the most strong skills of a leader is have a proactive decision making mindset Encourage your organization an challenge them to follow you in making the corrections Been vulnerable and honest and communicate properly across your organization one you have identify the problem and the impact of it an why you have to change course of action is key to make the organization understand why the change are for If not you can create confusion across your team

With insights into the misstep, it's time to implement changes, whether that means adjusting processes, offering extra training, or redefining goals. Ensure these changes are clearly communicated to all involved. This isn't about punishment but progress. Showing commitment to improvement and adaptability fosters team confidence and loyalty.

Depending on the external environment, the size of the organization and the urgency of the internal problems and obstacles, you have to choose a different approach to holistic change or opt for splitting-up, selling part of the company/carving out or holistic change management and tranformation programs. we call that 'situational change management'. Change management is context-sensitive. If you have the time, that is a different story than when you are already going belly-up.

Forster the teams resilience and lead by example Showing your own story in how you have failed in the past and you have bounce back an came stronger ,can inspire your employees to follow you in the change of course of action you will implement Preparing your team for the changes and motivate an training them to be involved in making proposals will create a challenging atmosphere in your organization that will encourage them to be more resilient under any circumstance

In my journey as a leader, I've witnessed firsthand the impact of how we respond to failure on our team's resilience. Emphasizing perseverance and the value of learning from setbacks has been key. Rather than focusing solely on the failure itself, I've made it a point to celebrate the effort and progress made, regardless of the outcome. By sharing my own experiences of overcoming challenges and highlighting the lessons learned, I've been able to foster a culture of resilience within my team, where setbacks are seen as opportunities for growth and improvement.

Tu reacción ante el fracaso puede motivar a tu equipo o lo contrario. Promover la resiliencia destacando la perseverancia y el aprendizaje de los errores, y celebrando el esfuerzo más que los resultados, construye un equipo más fuerte y motivado. Los equipos resilientes innovan más y enfrentan mejor los desafíos futuros, al no dejarse intimidar por el temor a fallar.

Foster Resilience: Failure is a natural part of leadership. Build resilience by viewing failure as an opportunity for growth and learning. Encourage your team to adopt a similar mindset.

Resilience is not somehing that you can learn or 'foster'. It is a social skill we possess and develop during our youth. The idea that you can learn resilience, let alone teach others in a team is a myth. If you do not possess that social skill, you will not be able to learn it. You can learn some tricks, but in times of crisis, you will be frozen like in 'who moved my cheese' if you do not have that skill. And you wil peerish and the company with you as happened to the captain of the 'Titanic' when it went down.

Self-reflection and accountability is sadly not in the DNA of every 'leader'. Taking the time for meaningful lessons learned, creating a culture of authenticity and space for constructive criticism creates an environment destined to 'fail forward'.

Ya gotta keep going! Push hard. Dig in. CARE. This is where you need to use some mentor’s advice & look for the big picture. Go be awesome. Thanks - Sheila

This is an inside job. Self-awareness begets more self-awareness. I believe that leaders who have "failed" learn invaluable lessons. Accountability, the importance of a feedback loop, humility, and the need to schedule regular time for reflection and rest. Everything about "failure" if reframed and repurposed can support future success.

Reflect and Learn: Regularly reflect on your leadership practices and learn from both your successes and failures. Use these insights to continuously improve as a leader.

Reflect and learn, but quick. In times of crises , there is not much time to ask yourself all these questions. The sign of a really mature leader is to step down if he or she lacks the necessary skills to manage the crisis just in time.

Being the head of department of aviation security division which is extremely sensitive & delicate job therefore reflecting and adapting are key. It's important to acknowledge the impact, seek feedback from your team, and be open to change. Leadership involves continuous learning and growth, and part of that is learning from mistakes and adapting your approach to better serve your team and objectives. Embrace the opportunity to evolve your leadership style.

To positively change your response to failure as a leader, consider these unconventional strategies: 1) Embrace failure publicly, share your own mistakes at team meetings to cultivate a culture of transparency and learning. 2) Initiate a 'failure debrief' ritual, where team members collectively analyze failures in a non-judgmental, constructive way, focusing on lessons and future improvements. 3) Implement 'creative failure awards', recognizing innovative attempts that didn't succeed, to encourage risk-taking and destigmatize failure, fostering an environment where learning from mistakes is valued.

The point of being a leader is to prevent causing more harm than good. We are saturated with mediocrity and the rancid notion of ‘at least they tried’. If a pilot crashes a plane because he had poor or no skills then this person is in the wrong job. A banker who has a history of punting and risky gambles is useless. If you cause more harm then resign. A true leader will consider a situation, try and tailor a response, call in the best in his team in the area to explore the best outcomes and adopt conservative strategies. There are situations where harm is unavoidable but generally if the leader cannot produce outcomes that improve a situation then they should go.

Here’s What Else to Consider: Consider seeking guidance from a mentor or coach to help you navigate through challenging situations. Additionally, create a supportive environment within your team where failure is seen as a learning opportunity rather than a setback. By taking these proactive steps, you can address the negative impact of your response to failure and create a more positive and constructive leadership approach.

Time to practice self-awareness and reflection to reassess how we approach failure as leaders. Taking the feedback of harmful consequences is an opportunity to evolve and learn. It's crucial to acknowledge mistakes, listen to feedback, and understand the impact of our actions. Instead of defending or ignoring failures, embrace them as learning experiences. Use feedback to adjust strategies, improve communication, and foster a culture of accountability and growth. Effective leadership requires humility, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous improvement.