1. Talking about mistakes - but only when they’re someone else’s?
We talk a lot about reform, transformation, and modernization - both in business and in society. Almost always, the first step is an honest analysis of the status quo. And that inevitably involves identifying mistakes.
The paradox is this: the very qualities leaders demand from their employees: self-reflection, self-criticism, a willingness to learn, openness to feedback, and a growth mindset - are often things they fail to model themselves. The higher the level of hierarchy, the quieter it becomes when it’s time to address one's own errors.
2. A mistake we made as a management team
I remember a situation clearly from my time on the executive board of an agency group. We had ambitious growth plans, the pipeline looked great, and the mood was euphoric. Based on this, we hired new staff and built up structures in the firm expectation that the projected growth would materialize. It didn't. The business didn't develop as hoped, and we later had to dismantle those very structures and cut those same positions.
The actual mistake wasn't that the market developed differently than planned. That happens. The mistake was that we didn’t seriously anticipate that possibility. We should have developed a Plan B. We should have asked ourselves: What do we do if things don’t go as expected? No one asked that question with enough conviction, and that was a failure.
3. Naming the mistake doesn't solve the problem, but it’s the beginning
The result was unpleasant for everyone involved. And it was difficult to say openly: "This was a mistake made by us as the management team." This honesty didn't make the situation better immediately. It didn't save any jobs or undo any decisions. But it achieved something else: understanding. Trust. And a foundation for carrying out the necessary measures together.
One thing is clear: employees sense exactly whether responsibility is being truly embraced or shifted between the lines.
4. Not all mistakes are created equal
I distinguish between two types of errors:
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Decisions that turn out to be unfavorable or wrong in hindsight, even though they were plausible at the time they were made.
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Decisions where one could have known, even at the moment of deciding, that important options were not sufficiently considered.
Particularly in the second category, I believe it is imperative to take clear responsibility. No relativizing. No explaining why your intentions were good. Instead, simply saying: "We should have decided differently here."
5. Why admitting mistakes strengthens leadership
Many leaders fear losing authority by being open about their mistakes. My experience is the opposite:
Those who admit mistakes demonstrate sound judgment. Those who take responsibility create credibility. And those who openly say, "That was wrong," enable learning - for themselves and for others.
Error culture is not a topic for HR or the communications department. It is a matter of attitude. And it begins at the very top.
6. My recommandation
Are there decisions in your environment where it is clear in hindsight: "We should have known better"? How are such mistakes handled in your organization -openly or defensively? And what would change if leadership didn't explain mistakes away, but admitted them instead?
True error culture isn't created through workshops. It’s created through role models.
