What If You're Wrong?

You know the old saying… “never let them see you sweat.”  It’s a classic line.  It goes right along with “show no fear.”  Or you could even say it’s close to the quote from Mythbuster’s Adam Savage who likes to regularly state, “I reject your reality and substitute my own.”



We’re taught by society that as a leader you must stay tough, stay on top, and always remain in control.  We think that means to never appear weak or vulnerable.  And that, in turn, translates into a perceived need to cover up mistakes, not admit to failures, and appear invincible.  That’s what leadership is all about, right?  Wrong.



I have to admit – I’m loosely borrowing the overall premise for this article from an article I just read in the June 15, 2010 edition of CIO magazine.  The idea is that business leaders should embrace their mistakes.  After reading it, I’m convinced that this translates well to the project management leader tasked with leading project resources and customers along the path to project success.



We’ve seen so many recent examples in the press of failed attempts to cover up bad information such as bank failures, product defects, and oil spills.  Even though the cover-up can be bad, baring it all is not an easy thing to do.  Three fears usually overtake us when faced with coming clean on failures: fear of losing a job, fear of being embarrassed, and fear of feeling inferior.



That last one is the one that grips us the most.  As the project manager and prime decision maker on the engagement, admitting to mistakes may make us weak and cause team members and customers to second-guess us, right.  Not likely.  Don’t confuse vulnerability with weakness.  Admitting a failure can immediately take the sting out of it and turn it into a powerful leadership tool for the project leader.  By admitting failures and vulnerabilities, we can actually become more trusted partners sharing the project risks and tasks as we work toward shared end goals.