It’s easy to look like a spectacular leader or organization when everything is going easy.  The plan has been laid out and everything is going accordingly.  But what happens when the plan goes off the rails and pressure begins to build?  What do you do when someone drops the ball, or runs the wrong route?  Worse, what happens when you made the mistake and there’s nobody else to blame?

Is you go to move dropping the proverbial “hammer” on the individual, or finding a scapegoat?  Adversity creates pressure!  Just like a tube of toothpaste, when pressure is applied everything inside will come out.  And when it comes out it’s messy and no amount of effort can put anything back in the tube.

The true test of a leader is to ensure that any pressure applied is appropriate and done in a constructive manner.  The goal is to bring about change and not create a mess.  The issue isn’t in avoiding mistakes, but how you respond when the mistake happens.  Weak leaders and organization react with fear and punishment to ensure a “pound of flesh” is taken to get maximum effect.  Strong organizations and leaders use mistakes as an opportunity to demonstrate characters resilience, and maturity.  Read more at Leadership Resilience and Courage.

Do the hard stuff and evaluate your last team setback.  Did your reaction build up your team’s character, or did it drive them to hide their mistake?  Did you reaction make things better or worse?