Everybody makes mistakes, but many people try to hide them. While this can serve to protect pride and egos, it also may also lead to missed learning opportunities. Researchers in this study (Zhang et al., 2024) considered the impact that organizational leaders can have by reflecting on their mistakes and being honest with their team members about their own shortcomings.
THE RESEARCH STUDY
Using both experimental and daily diary methods, the researchers conducted four studies and gathered data from over 1250 people across a variety of occupations and industries. They found that when leaders took time to reflect on and learn from their own mistakes, they displayed more humility, which led their teams to develop more of an improvement-oriented growth mindset. This was especially true when the leaders themselves demonstrated an attitude of growth and goal orientation, choosing to learn and grow from mistakes rather than sit and wallow in them.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Mistakes are inevitable, but people can choose how to respond. Organizations that want to apply the findings of this research should consider doing the following:
- Teach employees and leaders to reframe mistakes as learning opportunities. This may promote humility, a growth mindset, and innovation.
- Encourage leaders to stay humble, as leader humility may lead to a growth-oriented team culture. In fact, similar research indicates that teams with humble leaders are more likely to speak up about mistakes.
- Encourage a growth mindset at all organizational levels. This will ensure that everyone can learn from their mistakes, and that this mindset becomes fully embedded in the organizational culture.
Hu, J., Zhang, S., Lount Jr., R. B., & Tepper, B. J. (2024). When leaders heed the lessons of mistakes: Linking leaders’ recall of learning from mistakes to expressed humility. Personnel Psychology, 77, 683-712.
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