4 Examples of Top Leaders Admitting Their Mistakes
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If you’re a leader, you’ll inevitably make mistakes. But what do you do next?
We found our four favorite real-world examples of leaders admitting to their mistakes, along with learnings for each one. Read on for more details.
Oprah Winfrey, media executive
In a commencement speech to the 2008 Stanford graduates, Oprah Winfrey told the story of a scandal that rocked her school for girls in South Africa.
The Situation
Oprah founded a school for girls in South Africa in 2007
That year, a dorm matron was accused of sexual abuse of students
Oprah took action by hiring investigators, recruiting a trauma specialist for students
She personally traveled to South Africa to resolve the crisis
Oprah expressed what she learned:
“ I understand now the mistakes I made, because I had been paying attention to all of the wrong things. I’d built that school from the outside in, when what really mattered was the inside out.”
Lessons Learned
Be genuine when owning up to mistakes.
Oprah was very vulnerable in admitting that she played a part in facilitating sexual abuse, and showed genuine remorse
Take concrete steps to show you are serious about creating a resolution
Don’t spend time worrying or feeling bad about the situation; simply take action
Eric Yuan, CEO of Zoom
Yuan apologized publicly for the vulnerabilities of Zoom and promised to work to meet standards of privacy and security.
The Situation
Video conferencing tool, Zoom, exploded in popularity in March 2020
Increase in users also came with increase in security and privacy issues
Video meetings could be “hijacked” by malicious users
Yuan released a memo apologizing to users
Also appeared on various news outlets to speak about issues
Admitted the company moved too quickly
Promised the Zoom team would correct shortcomings
Lessons Learned
Moving too fast can have consequences
Have to consider liabilities carefully and put the needs of customers first
Apologize and commit to doing better - then, actually follow through
Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Facebook
We know what you’re thinking. Zuckerberg admitting to a mistake? Isn’t he a master of the dodge and weave? Yet, in the infamous hearing where Mark Zuckerberg faced the U.S. Senate in regards to concerns over users’ private data
The Situation
87 million profiles accessed by political firm Cambridge Analytica.
Questions raised about privacy and collection of user data
Facebook’s ability to protect users scrutinized
Zuckerberg admitted “we didn’t do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm as well”
He remained calm and rational throughout the hearings, giving clear answers
Took personal responsibility for Facebook’s lack of oversight
Lessons Learned
Thorough explanations are required and expected
However, it takes discipline not to “overexplain” and end up seeming overwhelmed
Leaders need to take responsibility for organization-wide mistakes
Public opinion can be maintained through crisis
Sheila Marcelo, founder and CEO of Care.com
Marcelo recounts the time she fired someone, but realized it was the wrong move:
The Situation
Employee used foul language on a blog post
Made the decision to fire the employee on a Friday
Marcelo regretted the decision
Rehired the employee on Monday
On the same day, discussed the situation with the company and apologized for the rash decision
Lessons Learned
Wrong decisions can be reversed
Act fast when mistakes occur
Apologizing does not indicate weakness
Did any of these leaders lose all of what they’ve worked hard for by taking ownership of their mistakes? No. They learned from their mistakes, then continued on to become even more successful.
Let's take this as a lesson and see what comes out of admitting to our own mistakes.
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