{"id":35130,"date":"2017-01-16T04:45:50","date_gmt":"2017-01-16T10:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=35130"},"modified":"2017-01-16T04:45:50","modified_gmt":"2017-01-16T10:45:50","slug":"responsibility-major-mistake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/responsibility-major-mistake\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Take Responsibility after a Major Mistake"},"content":{"rendered":"

One key to leadership is being willing to take responsibility for your mistakes. Good leaders do this even when they\u2019re guilty of only 10 percent of the problem or accusation. But the truth is we\u2019ve all had cases where we\u2019ve been guilty of the whole enchilada, right?<\/p>\n\n

I once had a teammate\u2014this was years ago now\u2014who was caught viewing porn on her computer at work. I don\u2019t know how she thought she\u2019d get away with it. Her computer screen was visible to just about anyone walking by.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how she got busted. Someone passed by, did a double-take, and reported her.<\/p>\n

This was the first time I\u2019d run into this problem at work, but the disciplinary procedure was clear enough. She was given a stern warning. Do this again, and you\u2019ll be fired.<\/em> I figured that would end it.<\/p>\n

But no.<\/p>\n\n

A few months later it happened again. I was the second in command on my team, but my boss was gone. So it was my job that day to drop the ax.<\/p>\n

I called the employee to a meeting and did it by the book. I started with the conclusion: \u201cYou\u2019ve been terminated, effective immediately.\u201d I stated the reason: \u201cYou were caught viewing porn on a company computer. This is your second offense.\u201d And I reminded her she knew this would be the outcome of her choice: \u201cYou were warned that behavior would result in your termination.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, I explained her severance package and told her that the decision was non-negotiable.<\/p>\n

But she was just getting started. First, despite multiple witnesses, she flat denied it. If the situation weren\u2019t so tense, it might have been funny. Then she shifted the blame to me. \u201cIf my husband finds out, this will be the end of my marriage,\u201d she said. \u201cThat will be on your head.\u201d<\/p>\n

She still wasn\u2019t done. She was in leadership at her church and tried using that against me as well.<\/p>\n

All this fluster came down to one simple fact: She refused to take responsibility for her behavior. I realize that people struggle with habits and addictions. Taking responsibility looks like getting the help necessary to overcome them. This person wasn\u2019t interested in that at all.<\/p>\n

So what does it mean to take responsibility after a major mistake? Here are four steps anyone can follow to get things back on track.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Take ownership.<\/strong> It starts with responsibility. Great leaders display what Joan Didion once called<\/a> \u201cmoral nerve.\u201d It takes an act of courage to own a bad situation. It can be terribly frightening to admit a wrong, to be vulnerable and expose yourself to anger and even punishment. You don\u2019t have to wait for the absence of fear and doubt. Courage means doing it scared.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
  2. Show remorse for the problem.<\/strong> It doesn\u2019t end with ownership. If we want to turn things around, we have to add remorse to responsibility. Our failings cause difficulty to others. Our mistakes cost time, money, and sometimes heartache. We should express sorrow and regret for the hurt our behavior caused.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \n

    Express gratitude for the reckoning.<\/strong> When a major mistake comes to light, the natural response is to get defensive or hide. We\u2019re all a bit like Adam and Eve in the Garden. But the reckoning is the start of restoration. If we escape detection for a major mistake, the harm is still there. And it harms us even more.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Resolve to take action.<\/strong> Once a major mistake comes to light, it can be easy to slink off and leave the problem in other\u2019s hands. In the case of a termination, you may not have a choice in the matter. But you always have something you can do. If you can\u2019t fix the actual problem, you can still address your part in it\u2014your failings, misjudgments, destructive habits, whatever contributed to the crisis.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t