Whether you’re a CEO, a manager, or a business owner, you’re the boss, and that means you’ve got a lot of responsibility riding on your shoulders. When you’re in position of authority, your customers, investors, and employees put a great deal of faith in your ability to make the right call. So you have to step up to the plate and deliver.
But sometimes, things go terribly wrong. And while it might be tempting to fall back on some lame excuse or blame someone else, that’s a big red flag that you’re not ready for prime time. If you want to make the big bucks, you’ve got to put on your big-boy pants and hold yourself accountable. Whining and pointing fingers won’t cut it.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the need for business leaders to own their mistakes, far too many bosses act as if they never got the memo.
For example, I’ve heardGreen Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was recently taken to task for his decision to kick an extra point and send the Arizona Cardinals game into overtime (a fifty-fifty bet), instead of going for a two-point conversion, which the team had done successfully two thirds of the time this season. But like a true leader, McCarthy owned the decision and held only himself accountable.
A couple of weeks before, New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin made the rare decision to resign after three losing seasons, instead of putting the team’s management, players, and fans through the drama over whether he’d be fired or not. He left with integrity … and his head held high.
And sophomore wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. posted an unconditional apology for his unsportsmanlike behavior against cornerback Josh Norman during a Carolina Panthers game. He could have blamed it on taunting by Norman and some pregame antics, but instead, he held only himself accountable.
This is simple, folks. Everyone makes mistakes, but real leaders own them. Real leaders hold themselves, and only themselves, accountable. The buck really does stop with them. That’s the way it should be. That’s the only way to lead.
