Along with death and taxes, making mistakes is a certainty. We all make mistakes. The opportunity for a leader is to respond to his/her mistakes and mistakes made by others in a manner which strengthens his/her leadership.
Let’s start with mistakes made by ourselves, the leader.
First and foremost, you must admit your error and apologize to those impacted. As a leader, that may mean you need to apologize to a larger group of people. I know, it is difficult and embarrassing, but by admitting a mistake and accepting responsibility, you will earn the respect from the people you lead.
Second, fix the error. This is the action which should follow the accepting responsibility as noted above.
Third, learn from each mistake so that you don’t repeat it.
Finally, teach others so that they don’t make the same mistake. Each error or mistake is a learning opportunity for you and for others.
Mistakes made by others
Yell at the idiot who made the mistake! (Just kidding)
1) Listen calmly to the explanation for the cause of error or mistake. (Remember, it is unlikely someone erred on purpose.)
2) Ask the person/team how they plan to remedy the error.
3) Allow them to fix the error (if they have the skills to do so).
4) Ask for a solution to prevent this error from happening again.
Remember, as a strong leader, one of your roles is to coach and grow your people; it is not to demean or diminish them. Viewing mistakes as a learning lesson and responding accordingly will position you as a “grower” and not a “demeanor” of your team members.