There’s a common misconception about leadership that leaders are exceptions to making mistakes. Leaders are human too which leaves the probability that they will make decisions that may not profit them favorably. However, this is all a part of the learning experience and helps them to improve their business. There’s also a misconception about seeing leaders fail and how it impacts the employees in a negative way. If anything, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Failure is an Ingredient for Improvement
A leader may not always have sound judgment or the best ideas that they decide to pitch. A part of being a leader is being a visionary and being able to see many new directions one can take their team or business towards. Of course, these hunches or judgment calls won’t always lead to success. However, failure is a component for learning what works and what doesn’t work. Then, a leader will be better equipped to recalibrate a newer plan of action.
Boosting Team Morale
Employees and teammates don’t want to feel as though their leader is perfect and incapable of mistakes. This creates a sense of tension in the workplace as employees stress over whether or not they are making any mistakes. Seeing a leader fail shows the rest of the team that the leader is not excluded from mishaps. It makes the general atmosphere much more comfortable and encourages the team to try out new things as well.
A Lesson, Not A Loss
There’s a lot of negative connotations around the word failure. No one is “perfect”. Failures allow people to see weak spots and find better ways of doing things. A leader may try hiring someone for a position that the person isn’t ready for. This judgment call doesn’t have to be seen as a failure. It is simply a lesson to both the leader and the employee. The greatest of lessons are learned through the hardships of losing. However, one should not dwell in a loss as there is much wisdom to gain from these experiences. Reshaping how one views failure will allow leaders to set the standard that is okay to try and not be successful. When most children start off walking, many stumble and fall. However, staying down and not trying again would be the true failure. Falling is just a natural part of the process of achieving success.