When you hear bad news from your team, whether a mistake or accident, how do you respond? Far too often, we get upset and go down the path of lecturing, reprimanding, blaming, etc. about events we cannot change. We ineffectually dwell on the past instead of dealing with the future. It may be therapeutic, but it’s not effective or inspiring leadership.
The best leaders don’t waste a lot of time getting angry or frustrated over bad news. They focus on what’s next instead of what was. They evaluate the options, identify a solution and act. The best time to reflect on what happened, to learn, is almost always later, much later. What’s needed in the moment is their poise, creativity and innovation.
So what’s your style? More importantly, what’s your reputation? Ask your family and coworkers. If you routinely negatively respond to bad news and others fear bringing it to your attention, you’ve got some work to do. The good news is you can decide to change. You can decide to become a more effective and inspiring leader. Give it a try. I promise you and others will have more fun solving problems than you will getting upset about what you cannot change.
A word of thanks to Seth Godin for providing the spark for this post with his most recent book, Linchpin.
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