Mistakes Are Not Failures: Why Solving Your Own Errors Matters. (The Worksheet)

Managing people is never more important than when managing mistakes. 

How do you react when an employee makes an error? 

Do you want them to feel bad and repent? 

Or do you want them to learn, grow, and do better next time?

Who has responsibility

Last week, we talked about taking responsibility for mistakes with clients. It’s your business, your reputation, and your job to make things right.

But what about when it comes to your employees? Should you take the same approach? 

Not quite. 

With employees, the best thing you can do is let them take responsibility for the mistake and find the solution themselves.

Responsible solutions

If your instinct is to complain or immediately jump in to fix the problem yourself, you might solve the issue in the short term. 

But here’s the catch: all you’ve done is assign blame without giving them the opportunity to learn from the experience.

When you allow employees to take responsibility—both for the mistake and for finding a solution—you’re doing something far more valuable. 

You’re building accountability, problem-solving skills, and confidence. You’re creating future leaders who will know how to handle challenges independently.

Responsible leadership

When you find an employee error, your first step is to talk to them (as covered in a previous worksheet). 

Then: have them fix it. 

Mistakes are inevitable in any workplace, but how you handle them as a leader sets the tone for your team’s culture and development.

What next

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