To Apologise is not a Big Deal... Or is It?

Today, I read a wonderful article on Forbes about apologizing. It is released on 06.06.2012 by Erika Andersen. Here is the link.

Lately, we are talking more and more about leadership and its' importance. We mostly mention its "business" aspects, but we, most of the time, forget to go into the "behavioral" side. This article is the more behavioral side of the matter which I like to read more than "business" side.

Why? Because, what is written in media mostly do not reflect our daily work-life. Especially in my country. Managers (which I happen to work or collaborate for working) are not the managers which are given example of in the media. Go ahead and ask any employee that has no subordinate to him/her. Managers are mostly arrogant, smug, priggish and mostly they don't accept any of their mistakes until they got fired from their jobs. Right? I admit that times (and also) people are changing, I still happen to encounter these types all the time. Anyways, "what is in the media and what is really going on" is another matter which I would like discuss later.

Let's turn to our review. What Andersen points out is great leaders accept their mistakes, apologize for them, tell how to fix them and fix. Simple right. "Being courageous in this way is generally scary in anticipation", she says. "But it feels great once you’ve done it to you, and to those you lead.".

It is not humiliating. It is wisdom. Manager do make mistakes as all human beings. It is a common fact. So, why go ahead and apologize? People who you lead will see that everyone can make mistakes and mistakes are tolerable. It gives initiative to your subordinates to make their own decisions. Even if they are though. It gives them courage and not to afraid to make mistakes.

A great leader's power comes from its motivation. And that includes giving them courage.

Quotation from Doug Guthrie and Sudhir Venkatesh. "We are frequently taught that leaders, especially aspiring leaders, should hide weaknesses and mistakes. This view is flawed. It is not only good to admit you are wrong when you are; but also it can also be a powerful tool for leaders—actually increasing legitimacy and, when practiced regularly, can help to build a culture that actually increases solidarity, innovation, openness to change and many other positive features of organizational life."

Great article and thumbs up for her. Go, check it out and give thumbs up for her.