In my last post, Understanding Before Fixing: A Leadership Shift, we explored the power of slowing down to truly understand others’ behaviors before rushing to solve a problem. That shift in perspective is foundational, but what happens when we turn that lens inward?
Many leaders, in their desire to protect outcomes, take on responsibility that isn’t theirs to carry. I recently worked with a client who did exactly that: when her team made a small mistake, she jumped in to fix it. On the surface, it looked like dedication — but in reality, she was unintentionally slowing progress, undermining her team’s learning, and exhausting herself.
Why? Beneath the surface was a belief she wasn’t allowed to make mistakes. Every error felt like a personal indictment of her competence and identity. Her team’s growth was being stunted by her need to control outcomes, even as her own capacity to lead suffered.
Mistakes aren’t signs of failure — they’re opportunities to build resilience, knowledge, and confidence. Leaders who try to absorb every error deprive their teams of this growth, while also carrying unnecessary weight themselves.
Real leadership involves stepping back: creating space for the team to stumble, learn, and strengthen. By trusting others to solve problems, leaders empower both themselves and their people. This is the natural extension of the mindset we explored in Understanding Before Fixing — not just understanding others, but understanding the systems and dynamics that allow mistakes to become growth opportunities.
The shift isn’t easy. It requires awareness, courage, and patience. But the payoff is a stronger, more capable team — and a leader who can focus on guiding instead of firefighting.
Giving your team space to learn from mistakes is crucial — but the same principle applies to yourself. How you interpret your own missteps shapes your leadership and your team’s confidence. In my next post, we’ll dig deeper into this internal battle: how to separate your identity from your mistakes and lead with clarity, resilience, and self-compassion.
Photo by Oscar Keys on Unsplash
