It’s always easy to blame someone else when things do not go the way we’d planned, isn’t it? That’s because our ego doesn’t want to admit that maybe, just maybe, we had something to do with the problem. If only we would ponder on what exactly went wrong, we may be unpleasantly surprised when we figure out how we may have contributed to the issue at hand.

Next time there’s an issue that needs to be addressed, don’t be defensive right away. Instead, take a step back and evaluate the situation and determine the reasons behind the steps taken. At the end, even if it may have been someone else’s fault, remember, we’ve all made our fair share of mistakes. And, whoever made the mistake already feels bad about it. NO need to rub it in his or her face. And, if you were the cause for the error, it’s okay to admit it. So, “fess up, when you mess up.”

As a good leader, when you admit your mistake, your team respects you more and relates to you as a human being. Regardless of whose fault the mistake was, the key is to look at the root cause as to why the mistake happened: was it lack or unclear communications? process issues? or maybe not enough people to do the work? Once you narrow it down to the culprit of the problem, then discuss as a team to agree on changes that need to be made for the future in order to avoid or reduce the chances of the same mistake from happening.