How to Handle Mistakes to Maintain Team Trust

Leaders, owning your imperfections doesn’t break trust—it builds it. I’ve seen this time and again in leadership teams I work with on their inclusive leadership. Many leaders fear that admitting mistakes will undermine their authority. But in reality, the opposite is true: 👉 A leader who owns their mistakes creates psychological safety—where team members feel safe to speak up, take risks, and share ideas. Start small. Here’s a simple script to try: 🗣️ “I could have approached this differently, and I see how it impacted the team. Here’s what I’ve learned, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.” Why does this work? 1. It shows humility and self-awareness. 2. It models accountability—setting the tone for others to follow. 3. It signals that perfection isn’t the goal—progress and learning are. Try this in your next team meeting when reflecting on a decision or a process. Be specific, concise, and genuine. A leader I worked with recently used this approach during our psych. safety scan team debrief. The shift was immediate. Team members felt safe to share their challenges, explore better solutions together, and ultimately improved the team’s performance. P.S. What’s one leadership moment in your experience that created an immediate positive outcome?

The fastest way to lose a team is to distance yourself from their mistakes. A few weeks ago, I read how US President Donald Trump attributed the fallout of the Iran War to his War Secretary, Hegseth. Whether in politics or business, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱. It took me back to a choice I had to make years ago. A disgruntled contact went after one of my newest team members, publicly and aggressively, on LinkedIn. She was caught off guard and felt completely exposed. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 1. Stay silent and let her “handle it.” 2. Step into the line of fire. I reached out to the individual directly and said: “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲, 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝘁. 𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻—𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗲.” That incident defined a “𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱-𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁” 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽. If you want a team that takes initiative, you have to provide the safety net. Here is 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 when things go wrong: 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁: Before the team feels the heat, the leader must absorb it. The rule is simple: 𝗜𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. By saying “That’s on me,” you instantly de-escalate the external conflict and protect a colleague’s professional dignity. 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱-𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗿” 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: Accountability doesn’t disappear; it just changes location. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲. That’s where you dissect the mistake, find the root cause, and coach for the future. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: The most respected leaders are often “𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲” 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗻 but “𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲” 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀. When things go right? 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸. Let the team take the bow. When things go wrong? 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱. Own it completely. We all have the same choice the President did. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲?

I remember the day our star performer broke down in tears during a team meeting. She'd made a mistake that cost us a client. And everyone waited to see how I'd react. That moment defined everything that came after. Because a lot of leaders think safety means avoiding tough conversations. It doesn't. It means creating a space where people can be human. Where mistakes become lessons, not punishments. Where vulnerability is strength, not weakness. Google spent $80M studying high-performing teams. Their finding? Psychological safety mattered more than talent. More than resources. More than strategy. Teams thrive when people feel safe to: ⇢ Speak up without fear ⇢ Fail without shame ⇢ Be themselves without pretense 5 ways to build safety in your team: 1. Model vulnerability first Share your own mistakes before asking others to be open. 2. Respond to failure with curiosity Ask "What can we learn?" not "Who's to blame?" 3. Protect your people publicly Take the heat when things go wrong. Share credit when they go right. 4. Make space for emotions Acknowledge that everyone has bad days. Your team is human first, employees second. 5. Follow through on your word Trust dies when promises don't. Keep commitments, even small ones. Back to that meeting: I thanked her for being honest. We worked through the problem together. The team saw that safety was real, not just talk. You see, I've learned that a leader's job isn't to be perfect. It's to make it safe for others to be imperfect. That's where real teams are born. ♻️ Agree? Repost to help a leader in your network. 🔖 Follow Justin Wright for more on leadership.

Mistakes aren’t the problem. It’s how leaders respond to them that sets the tone for everything that follows. Shame shuts people down. Support lifts them up and builds trust that lasts far beyond the moment. If you're leading a team, here are 10 phrases that can turn missteps into momentum: 1) “It’s okay. Mistakes are a natural part of real growth.” 2) “What matters most now is how we respond and learn from it.” 3) “I’ve made similar mistakes. It’s part of becoming better at what we do.” 4) “This moment doesn’t define your value or future in this team.” 5) “We’ll figure this out together. You’re not alone in this.” 6) “Thanks for being honest. That takes courage and accountability.” 7) “Taking responsibility shows maturity and leadership. I respect that.” 8) “Everyone slips sometimes. What matters is how we bounce back.” 9) “Let’s focus on solutions, not blame. We grow through this.” 10) “This is a growth opportunity in disguise. Don’t miss the lesson.” Great teams aren’t built on perfection. They’re built on psychological safety and that starts with the words leaders choose in tough moments. Because when people feel safe to own mistakes, they also feel safe to lead.

As leaders, when you make a mistake, is it better to admit you are at fault or prioritize your reputation? The answer is actually both. By admitting fault, you build stronger trust and respect. A few years back, I was coaching a sales team through what I thought was a rock-solid strategy. But as the quarter unfolded, the results just weren’t there. The team put in the effort, but my approach didn’t hit the mark. I could feel my ego creeping in—should I double down and push harder, or admit that my plan wasn’t working? I chose the latter. I called a meeting and simply said, “I was wrong.” That moment changed everything. By admitting my mistake: 1. The team rallied because it showed them that leadership is about owning missteps and being flexible. 2. It strengthened trust because my example of open communication built a culture of honesty. 3. We found a better solution by gathering everyone’s input. We ended up pivoting and turning the quarter around. As leaders, the need to be “right” can be overwhelming. But the true value lies in acknowledging when you’re not. It sets an example, encourages growth, and builds a foundation of trust that can push your team to new heights. 💡 Takeaways: • Admitting mistakes isn’t weakness, it’s leadership. • Ego limits growth. Openness fuels it. • Teams thrive in cultures of trust. And that starts with YOU. Have you ever had a moment where admitting a mistake led to a stronger outcome? Share your story below.. Hit the 🔔—> @Alex Wisch for more insight on #leadership, #Teamwork, and #mindset.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐎𝐰𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬: 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐬 Founders constantly make decisions with limited information. Sometimes we get it wrong, or a seemingly good decision backfires unexpectedly. Effective apologies can transform these setbacks into opportunities for repair, growth, and a stronger team culture. A sincere apology restores trust, fosters positive relationships, and models the kind of culture that attracts growth-minded people to your team. When you take responsibility, it shows a commitment to integrity rather than pretending to be perfect for appearance. By contrast, refusing to acknowledge a mistake or delivering a weak, defensive apology, e.g., "sorry if you were offended," can fracture relationships, damage credibility, and hurt morale. Leaders who apologize sincerely are seen as confident, self-aware, and trustworthy, encouraging immediate repair and long-term collaboration. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗥'𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 "𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔, 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑦 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑡𝑟𝑢." – Adam Grant A truly effective apology goes far beyond saying "sorry." Beth Polin, PhD's research* highlights five key elements: Regret: Express authentic remorse for your actions and their impact, e.g., "I'm truly sorry for how my decision disrupted your work." Rationale: Briefly explain why the mistake happened, focusing on learning rather than excuses, e.g., "I rushed the launch, thinking we were ready." Responsibility: Take clear ownership without deflecting blame, e.g., "This is on me. I should have confirmed our readiness before moving forward." Repentance: Commit to doing better, e.g., "Next time, I'll work with the team to flag risks earlier and ensure readiness." Repair: Offer a concrete step to make amends, e.g., "I'll communicate updates and support anyone affected as we resolve this." 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝘼𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙯𝙚 Apologize anytime your words or actions have negatively affected someone. If you're unsure whether an apology is needed but someone was hurt or disappointed, err on the side of repair rather than defense. When apologizing, be specific about what went wrong rather than vague generalities. Avoid minimizing, shifting blame, or over-explaining, e.g., "I’m sorry you feel that way," or comma apologies dilute trust. Open a path for repair. Ask, "What can I do to make this right?" or "How might we move forward?" Then follow through. The most powerful apology is changed behavior, not just words, and others will know if you follow through and learn. For founders, apologies carry power. When offered pointedly and sincerely, they demonstrate confidence, elevate trust, and model resilient leadership. #leaders #founder #adapt #startups

Repair. It's a skill every leader needs. But it's hardly ever talked about. I wish someone had told me in my first leadership gig that I'd need to learn the art of repair. Turns out, my biggest mistake wasn't double paying 16ish people in one pay cycle [yep was a bad time, and 'ish' doesn't go down well in payroll]. My most painful mistakes have been when I’d damaged a relationship. The times when I needed to say sorry for losing my cool. Or, I needed to rebuild trust after letting someone down. Or I needed to take personal accountability for behaviour that didn’t help the team. As much as leadership failures are painful, they're also inevitable. It's the cost of the role. Welcome to leadership, you're going to fail in really painful and public ways (feel free to write this leadership affirmation down). No one gets it right all the time. And we shouldn't expect to. What we should expect is that we'll need to learn the art of repair. Instead of trying to 'be right’ all the time, we need to know how to repair things when they're not right. A few simple things that help: 1)Seeking to understand different perspectives. Actively listen. Ask curious questions. Sit with the mess of the situation for a bit. Don’t try to gloss over it. 2) Take personal ownership. No 'apologies' emails. Fully own it. Pick up the phone, or meet IN PERSON and say 'I'm really sorry. I stuffed that up, it's not ok.' Be vulnerable. No one expects you to be perfect. But they do expect you to take ownership. 3) Take action. Get clear on what needs to change. And then commit to it. Don't just talk about what you're going to do, do the thing. #leadership #management #HR #peopleandculture

“I missed a major deadline. The client wasn’t happy. The team looked at me differently.” That’s what a young manager confessed to me over coffee. He’d led a key project that flopped — and suddenly, the trust he’d built with his team and boss felt like it evaporated overnight. He said something that stuck with me: “It’s like I went from promising leader to liability… in one mistake.” That’s the scary part about leadership when you’re early in your career. So, what do you do after the fall? Here’s what I told him: 1. Manage expectations like your credibility depends on it (because it does). You already owned the mistake. Good. But now, over-communicate. Set crystal-clear expectations for your next project: ↳ What’s the exact deliverable? ↳ Who are you building it for? ↳ When is each piece due? ↳ How will you keep stakeholders in the loop? Ambiguity is where mistakes breed. Clarity is where trust rebuilds. 2. Under-promise. Over-deliver. Tempted to prove yourself with a moonshot? Don’t. It backfires more often than not. Instead: ↳ Set realistic targets. ↳ Build in buffers. ↳ Deliver slightly more than what was promised. It’s not flashy, but it works. 3. Win small. Win fast. Credibility doesn’t return all at once. You earn it inch by inch. Focus on quick, visible wins that move the project forward and help the team, not just your image. Examples: ↳ Found a process gap? Propose a fix. ↳ Need support? Make a solid business case for additional resources. ↳ Don’t wait till the final deadline — share milestones early. Momentum builds belief. 4. Reassess. Periodically. Finished your comeback project? Great. But rebuilding trust = consistency over time. ↳ Every 2–3 months, ask: ↳ Am I gaining back confidence from stakeholders? ↳ Are my deliverables exceeding expectations? Do I feel like I trust myself again? If the answers aren’t clear — maybe it’s not just you. Some environments don’t allow for second chances. If that’s the case, find one that does. The truth is: Credibility is hard to earn. Harder to regain. But absolutely possible — if you approach it with humility, clarity, and strategy. We’ve all dropped the ball at some point. The question is: What do you do after the bounce? — PS: I write about leadership, trust, and growing through setbacks every week. #leadership #careeradvice #trust #growthmindset #youngprofessionals

Healthcare teams work in environments where every decision matters and uncertainty is constant. The most effective teams have figured out how to create spaces where people feel safe to speak up, ask questions, and acknowledge what they don't know. Start with Curiosity Strong teams approach problems with genuine curiosity. When something goes wrong, the question becomes "What can we learn?" rather than "Who's responsible?" This shift in language creates permission for honest reflection. Make Learning Visible Leaders who share their own learning moments - the cases that challenged them, the decisions they'd make differently, the questions they're still exploring - show that growth is ongoing for everyone. Vulnerability from leadership creates safety for the entire team. Protect the Voice of Doubt In high-pressure situations, the person who asks "Wait, are we sure about this?" might be saving lives. Teams that value these moments of pause create space for crucial safety checks. Design for Multiple Perspectives Pre-shift huddles, post-case debriefs, and regular check-ins ensure that insights from all team members can surface naturally. Every role brings unique observations. Respond to Mistakes with Systems Thinking When errors occur, psychologically safe teams examine the conditions that contributed rather than focusing solely on individual actions. This prevents future mistakes while maintaining trust. Teams that feel safe to voice concerns, ask questions, and share uncertainties discover innovations and improvements that more guarded teams miss entirely.

Mistakes don’t sink teams. Blame culture does. Most techs don’t get in trouble for messing up. They get in trouble for trying to hide it—because they’re afraid of how it’ll be handled. That’s why we’ve made one thing clear in our shop: If you mess up—speak up. We’re not chasing perfection. We’re building a team that owns it, fixes it, and moves forward. Here’s how we create that kind of culture: • 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Mistakes are a chance to teach—not a reason to humiliate. • 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 The question isn’t “Why’d you screw up?” It’s “What are we doing to fix it right—and prevent it next time?” • 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 If I mess something up, I say it first. That sets the tone. We don’t have room for fear-based leadership in this industry. Techs need to think clearly under pressure—and that starts with knowing they won’t get thrown under the bus for being honest. Accountability makes people better. Blame just makes them quiet. How do you handle mistakes on your team?