When Things Go Wrong

It's so easy to talk about business when things go right. All your plans make sense. You've got your market identified. Maybe you've even got some validation from the market that someone's buying what you're selling. You know what needs to happen, how it needs to happen, and the value of what you're providing. Everything makes perfect sense.

Until it doesn't.

Why do things go wrong? There are so many reasons, and if you ask someone, they will happily (even gleefully) tell you about your mistakes, miscalculations, bad assumptions, faulty risk management, and general ineptitude. And those are your friends. Your competitors won't say a word...to you. You can bet, however, that they're going to say plenty to your customers, your target audience, your suppliers, your potential labor sources, and anyone who will listen.

It's enough to make a person think perhaps ostriches are on to something.

Here's the thing: even if you don't acknowledge the problem (or PROBLEMS), someone else will. And that someone likely doesn't understand the context of what's going on. It is true: you cannot unring a bell. On the other hand, you CAN have a say in whether it's an alarm, a notice, or a signal for action.

When Things Go Wrong: The Customer View

The relationship between a business and its customers often seems fragile, even fleeting. They love you when you get it right. They RESPECT you when you MAKE it right. But the relationship definitely changes when things go sideways. Before, you were dictating the terms, and they were buying according to those terms. When something happens other than what you promised, now the playing field switches.

So what do you do? You tell the truth. And you suck it up.

No one likes the idea of losing money. Taking a loss when you expected a gain stinks. But you what REALLY stinks? Losing your credibility. Losing your integrity. Losing your business.

When you screw up, or when stuff just happens, the LAST thing a customer wants to hear is an excuse. The ONLY thing they want to hear is what happens to get them as close to "whole" as possible. And let's be very clear: they're not going to be whole. At the least, you've cost them time and emotional energy. You're not going to give that back to them.

You CAN tell them, "This is the situation. This is what it will take to make things better. This is how we're going to do that. This will be the end result. These are the potential alternatives (if any). This is our recommendation." Once you've provided them that information, you have two questions to ask: "What questions can I answer to help you understand the situation?" and "Are you willing to let us pursue this solution?" You then must be totally open and realistic when you answer their questions, and prepared to execute on the next course of action.

It's been my experience that MOST people will let you try to fix things if you're honest about what's involved. If they don't, there's not a lot you can do. As a colleague often states, you simply chalk it up as "a tuition payment to Stupid University" and close the book as professionally and kindly as possible.

You're NEVER going to create a positive outcome with hostility.

You're RARELY going to make things better with deception.

You're GUARANTEED to make an enemy if you aren't 100% humble. Just admit the mistake, and solve the problem. You don't get bonus points for knocking it out of the park with your solution. Those went out the window when the problem arose in the first place.

Just make it better.

When Things Go Wrong: The Labor Point of View

One of the biggest battles when it comes to crisis management is handling the people who made the mistake. Maybe it wasn't even their mistake; maybe they were simply present. Big problems shake people's confidence, and that affects their ability to execute on what comes next.

Now is not the time to berate your people. It may be time to replace them, but it's not the time to berate them. It will only make matters worse.

A leader must ask, "Is the person/people involved capable of providing the remedy needed?" That question isn't just about skill; it's about emotional fortitude. Some people get so shaken up when they make a mistake, they simply can't come back and be effective. Others, though, want nothing more than an opportunity to redeem themselves. Leaders have to determine whether A) the right people are working on the solution, and B) the customer can live with those who made the mistake working on the remedy. It's a case by case question, but it must be answered, and quickly.

This is also not the time for a lot of deliberation and collective brainstorming. This is a time for command, control, and oversight. The workers involved need to receive explicit instructions on the proposed remedy, authority to ask questions immediately if the solution has issues, and an appreciation for the delicacy of the situation.

After the solution has been implemented, whether it's successful or not, there's got to be a debrief and a level-headed discussion about how things went wrong. It's possible you'll lose some valuable team members, either because they can't deal with the implications of that analysis, they disagree on a fundamental level, or they simply can't regain their confidence.

You must try with all your might to prevent these scenarios from occurring. Even people who make egregious mistakes need to make a living, and deserve a chance at redemption. That may be an unpopular position, but hear me out. Good talent is hard to find, so it makes sense to keep people around if they were appropriate hires in the first place. If they weren't properly equipped or trained, then is it really their fault? The primary fault lies with the person who put them in a bad position in the first place. So WHY did the mistake happen? What was each individual's role? How can everyone move forward with lessons learned and an appreciation for how to work in the future?

When Things Go Wrong: The Leader's View

Perhaps no leadership axiom gets abused and ignored more than "the buck stops here". Many so-called leaders seem perfectly willing in times of crisis to pass responsibility for mistakes to someone else; to identify a scapegoat upon whom to affix blame.

It's our fault. Even when it's not.

To deny that a leader bears the ultimate responsibility for an outcome is to negate the entire exchange upon which leadership is built. If my crew messes up a job, I should have hired better, trained better, incentivized better, communicated better, bid better, et cetera, et cetera.

This is not to excuse poor performance, nor is it permission to overlook or ignore deficiencies. Stopping the buck, if you will, is an acceptance that every benefit a leader receives - respect, compensation, freedom, the benefit of the doubt - hinges on knowing that leader above all things accepts responsibility.

And yet so many don't.

No one likes receiving criticism. No one likes being yelled at, threatened, subjected to what some might even call abuse. I'm not suggesting you let someone swing at you, hurl slurs at you, or demean your humanity. I AM suggesting that you realize that people are humans, that they have fears and frustrations, and that what they want in times of crisis (both major and minor) is to be heard and to be offered a solution. They want someone to accept responsibility and provide a path forward.

That's our job. The buck stops with us.

The Personal Part

As you can imagine, this article didn't originate in a vacuum. It was inspired by a real-life scenario that's still being resolved on multiple fronts. How will it turn out? I hope for the best, but I'm prepared for most anything. The irony that I'm better prepared for the mistake's outcome than I was for the mistake is not lost on me, I assure you.

I'm writing this article for whoever might read it and relate to it from any role: the customer, the colleague, the leader. The mistake all too often seems like the end, when it's actually a truly unique beginning that requires a different mindset than "business as usual". At the risk of devolving into some click-bait list of platitudes to use in crisis management, let me offer this: if you or someone in your life makes a mistake, fight the urge to blow up or hide or evade. Focus on the best fix possible, whether you're the maker or the receiver of the mess. Attempt to be as gracious as you can while still be realistic. And above all, leaders: let's just own it. Let's focus on our customers, then help our people learn. This is the most important part of our job description. The buck MUST stop here.