Sorry. I screwed up.

In the context of work, “vulnerability” has historically had a bad reputation. Why is it so difficult for anyone to say, I made a mistake, I apologize and move on.

Vulnerability is an under-celebrated virtue. In this highly competitive world of one-upmanship, if anyone, more so someone in a leadership position is seen as soft, the person is branded as not having the fire in the belly or considered a weak leader.

The purpose of this blog is to use two real-life instances of a situation going horribly wrong, and the response of the leader to the situation.

They make interesting cases for learning.

Situation-1

Priety Zinta, co owner of franchisee Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League, posted a tweet about a player – Shashank Singh, praising him for his resilience after a few difficult months. There was no mention of why did Shashank have to go through those tough times. And, for no fault of his own.

The tweet was just after Shashank had played a blinder of an innings and won a match for the franchisee, a game that seemed lost at a point in time.

I reproduce the tweet below.

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To give the readers some context, Shashank was acquired by the franchisee in a bidding process. Apparently, one of the co-owners thought that they were bidding for a different player by the same first name. Once the player was secured, the franchisee tried to wriggle out of the buy. However, the auction process had concluded and they had to sign-up Shashank. Much later, the franchisee clarified that they indeed were going after Shashank. Was it an act of damage control or were they going after Shashank, no one really knows. Priety's tweet has no mention of the confusion about Shashank.

The fact that Priety praised Shashank for his resilience in the tweet is good. What would have made the tweet commendable is a small apology for what Shashank went through during the last few months due to the confusion at the auction.

Contrast this episode with a recent incident involving the quarterly?financial reporting of Lyft Inc.

Situation-2

A mistake in the press release of the 4Q '23 financial results for Lyft Inc, led to the Lyft stock prices trading up by 67%. The response of the CEO of Lyft, David Risher is worth watching.

https://youtu.be/-a7c9YQyn0g

David as the CEO was humble to admit that a genuine mistake was made while reporting the results. He did not blame an employee or his CFO for the error. He had the magnanimity to accept the blame. The buck stopped with him. While he accepted the blame, he used the opportunity to also make some strong points on the underlying business results for the quarter. David's response is a master class in defusing a potential embarrassment for the company.

Reflecting on these two events, as an employer, who would you work for?

Priety or David?

Leadership is not a privilege but a responsibility. Employees turn up at work to feel valued, to make a difference, learn and enjoy the camaraderie. I have been in situations where I felt unwanted on the team and it reflected on my relationships at work and in my personal life and most importantly on my mental health.

To all the people leaders, I understand that you are humans too. You will have your good days and the not so good ones. And when you have a bad day and a screw up happens, have the courage to recognise your mistake and rectify it.

Apologise…with words and intent. You will only become a better leader in the eyes of your colleagues.

As the “future of work” becomes the "present", as millennials give way to Generation Z in the workforce, the importance of open and candid communication becomes even more critical. Over the years, I have learnt that leaders who create the space for true vulnerability, build safe work environments in which people feel welcome to be themselves. When people are willing to be authentic at work, they’re also willing to take risks, share their perspectives without fear of a consequence, and become great contributors that can only be expressed within a culture that values trust and inclusion.

PS: I have a lot of respect for what Priety Zinta has achieved. She has herself had to climb a mountain to make a mark as a model, as an actress and a successful IPL franchise owner. I use the tweet to just make a point on the lack of vulnerability of leaders.