Your Team Screwed Up, but It’s Up to You to Make Things Right. Here’s How to Bounce Back Quickly

Published on November 18, 2019 Written by Creative Niche

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Creative Niche Blog

Mistakes happen. How you handle them is what matters most.

Being the boss isn’t easy. There are undeniable benefits to being a leader, but being in charge requires you take responsibility and accountability over everything the company does, whether you’re directly involved or not.

When something goes wrong within an organization, it’s up to the boss to step up, claim responsibility, and figure out how to fix things. While it’s never fun to take the blame, especially when you don’t feel you’ve done anything wrong, public opinion is much more sympathetic to a leader who owns up to the company’s mistakes than one who attempts to shirk responsibility and deflect the blame elsewhere.

Here are some tips on how to anticipate issues before they happen, and how to address problems when they can’t be prevented.
 

Listen first. Act second. 

As a leader, your job isn’t just about hiring staff and then focusing on your day-to-day tasks. You also need to be aware of what’s happening in the various levels of your organization at all times. That’s one of the reasons that passing blame onto employees in the event of a problem in the business just won’t cut it: if an employee messes up, the leader is at fault, because it’s your job to keep the company running smoothly.

A great way to keep apprised of things is by encouraging employees to speak up when they’re having an issue. Early on in my career, I had the opportunity to decide where to focus some of the company budget, and I had the idea to invest in expanding a section of the business that I felt passionate about.

However, during a routine check-in with employees, I learned that several were struggling to keep up with their workload, which had recently increased as a result of a big new client. I decided to use the budget to hire additional staff to redistribute the workload, resulting in a team that felt valued and cared for, and an overall increase in productivity. I firmly believe that this helped prevent future mistakes, improve team morale, and avoid burnout.

Keep your cool. 

It can be difficult to secure your place as the boss when it’s the first time you’ve ever been in charge. Many entrepreneurs didn’t realize they’d be pursuing a position of leadership when they started their company. While they may be prone to mistakes, it was typically ones they were making themselves.
 
So when mishaps happen due to your employees, it can be instinctual to point the finger and lose your cool. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a leader, it’s that people know when they’ve screwed up. They don’t need you screaming at them to realize it. In these situations, you’ll need to employ certain approaches to ensure that your employees see you as a leader that your staff will respect–but not fear.
 
If you really feel like you can’t control your emotions, step outside. Leave the office. I don’t care how chaotic it is or how many people are calling on you. If you know you can’t lead anywhere but from a place of anger, you need to leave and return when you’re levelheaded. 
 

Encourage more mistakes.

Some mistakes are made from laziness or error, but others are a sign of progress and innovation. Whatever happened, screwing up can be the most valuable method to learn and build from.

Mistakes also show the quality and passion of your team. The sign of a good employee is if they’re honest about their mistake, and then immediately offer a solution and plan to fix it. 

When you’re in charge, it’s up to you to take control of decision making and stay on top of what everyone else is doing. However, empowering your team to make mistakes and proactively fix them will set you up for long term success.

Contact Us.

Whether you have an immediate need today or are preparing for a strategic hire down the road and want to determine if there is a fit, get in touch with us, and we’ll have the right member of our team follow up with you shortly.
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Creative Niche was founded on land that is the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples from across Turtle Island. We acknowledge that we are all treaty people and accept our responsibility to honour all our relations.

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Creative Niche was founded on land that is the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples from across Turtle Island. We acknowledge that we are all treaty people and accept our responsibility to honour all our relations.

To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory we reside on, and a way of honouring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is current and ongoing, and we need to centre reconciliation in our actions and in our work. We encourage our team, partners, and clients to learn about the lands in which they live and to work towards reconciliation.

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Creative Niche was founded on land that is the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples from across Turtle Island. We acknowledge that we are all treaty people and accept our responsibility to honour all our relations.

Read more

Creative Niche was founded on land that is the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples from across Turtle Island. We acknowledge that we are all treaty people and accept our responsibility to honour all our relations.

To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory we reside on, and a way of honouring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is current and ongoing, and we need to centre reconciliation in our actions and in our work. We encourage our team, partners, and clients to learn about the lands in which they live and to work towards reconciliation.

Read Less

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