Why Admitting You're Wrong Can Be the Right Move

Not to be political, but a much-in-the-headlines former U.S. president and a current president of a superpower now waging a brutal war on a smaller neighbor have one key quality in common: They never admit fault. They never admit they've made a mistake. No matter how obvious a mistake may seem. This is a conscious, calculated maneuver. I also believe it's one of the absolute worst things a leader can do.

Making up one's mind to admit fault is often not an easy decision.

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Especially in the business world, it's virtually guaranteed to undermine credibility and erode respect.

An early lesson

I well remember an early lesson I learned in not owning up to mistakes. I was a young advertising sales rep and my boss had asked me to call on a certain prospect. Weary of unsuccessful demoralizing cold calls, I avoided doing it. A couple of days later, he asked how the call went. I gave him all kinds of weak excuses why I hadn't done it (I was too busy, I didn't have time, I'd been making sales calls in another neighborhood, my beat-up car was giving me problems), and each one he countered firmly while growing increasingly aggressive about my ignoring his direction.

It was a bad conversation. Finally, having thoroughly embarrassed me, he looked me straight in the eye and said, "Hey, let me give you some advice. If you just take responsibility and admit you screwed up, there's nothing else I can say. What am I gonna say? 'You screwed up!' Yeah, well, you already said that. But if you don't own up to a mistake, I'm going to keep drilling into you and make you very uncomfortable. So just take responsibility and I'll back off right away."

It was a nice insight; my boss was spot on. A teachable moment. Our little talk was 45 years ago and I remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday.

Credibility and respect

So what exactly do you gain by candidly admitting you're wrong about something? Well, in a business environment, whether you're a CEO or an entry-level employee, you can gain credibility. You're seen as being honest. A stand-up guy (or gal). A person to be trusted.

Additionally, you can gain respect. People want to see others succeed; they want projects to go smoothly. By admitting things haven't gone as you'd hoped, and taking accurate responsibility for your role in the matter, people may well empathize. They'll appreciate your not whitewashing things and will likely respect your candor.

Of course no one wants to make mistakes. No one can survive long in business on a steady diet of nothing but failures. But they do happen. Whether you're in management or not, being seen as a reliable person who can be counted on to get a job done — and who'll be straight about it when things aren't progressing well — is an asset. It's a positive reputation to have. People watch their leaders and colleagues closely, especially when personal income is involved. They knew who's honest and trustworthy and who isn't. They may not be able to do much about abominable behavior on the global stage, but they can make sound decisions where their own careers are concerned.