The coolest think about a great leader : How to deal with Mistakes?
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2 August 2017
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15 August 2017
Let's learn from the World's Coolest Leaders !
Mistakes show that we are a just human-beings, not robots or amazing artificial intelligences, and how we are dealing with mistakes, at our behavioural level, makes the difference in creating followers and successful businesses! So if I ask you:
“Does a Great Leader or recognised professional, or a C+ level Manager be mistaken… in a public meeting, or better, in a TV show ?” ..
Of course the answer, generally can be NO! But let’s play and simulate some answers:
Some of you, as Specialists or Consulting & Training Professional, or even better from your positions of Leaders, Seniors or mid Managers, will answer me, probably, something like this:
- “… No, it’s not good, well he’s not well prepared, and as a such a recognised leader you need to make your homework first! What example are you giving to your peers or direct reports?”
- “… No, It’s outrageous to do this, especially when you need to speak about your business or industry… This can confuse your team players, or can creates real damages to your image, not even thinking to the trust foundation builded around you!”
- “Wow, he/she does not show real Public Speaking Skills, and probably the fear, or maybe his/her oversell-esteems just hooked him/her, and finally bring to this embarrassing situation… and the excuse :) But we need to be right: this reporter was too sharp in his query for news!”
- “Yes, anybody can be mistaken in any speech or conversation, no matter how solid or long is the preparation phase. It is excusable because we cannot know everything! It count’s how you react to this mistake!”
Some of these potential answers I consider them judgements, others positions what hinder somewhere in the back an inner desire to sell or bold something - as a hidden agenda, or are "almost" impartial and logical but also based on previous life experiences.
But in Mistakes & errors management, the "Trial & Error Method" can be a good approach for a solid development strategy, especially when you're staying against the wind or you need to go on new and unknown direction.
Actually mistakes open us ways for a real learning processes, but as in any successful learning process the trust is important, so you need to be aware to not simply judges the actors, or just react to informations only from our old pattern of thinking, and this is valid for any field of our lives.
From my point of view the hint here is to approach any MISTAKE as an OPPORTUNITY , to become Better in any field, Stronger or simply More Informed!
Easy to say, but hard to apply, isn’t it?
Here you have a sample of a quite mediated mistake, what makes from this special leader a more respected and loved one. I am speaking about Elon Musk, the great CEO from TESLA.
Citing from an article from Business Insider, with almost the same title as mine, I permitted to borrow some words from Mathew DeBord from his recent article named “ Here's the coolest thing about Tesla's CEO Elon Musk” - posted on Aug. 6, 2017, 10:07 AM .
So I totally agree Mathew's opinions, we can say about Elon three big things:
- “Elon Musk is both an autodidact and a didact at heart.”
- “This might sound like an annoying tendency, but he's so good at it that it isn’t."
- “Few CEOs are willing to educate their audiences in this way.”
Being a human, no matter you are a man or a women, the way you respond to other’s behaviours, to any challenge in communication, or to specifically politics around you, sometime can be a surprise even for yourself! But being a celebrity, or a highly respected or loved leader or speaker, bring you some responsibilities in addition, isn’t it?!
My first conclusion is that If you made mistakes or just meet mistakes in your interactions, it is important to learn or help others to learn from it, in an honouring way, and why not in an entertaining but subtle way.
Elon is already a well recognised autodidact, because he has taught himself automotive engineering, rocket science, and solar design. These are big think isn’t it? You need a lot of vision and engagement to really learn and manage these type of knowledge…
Because he's an autodidact, he's also a didact — he likes to explain what's he's learned and knows to others
I think that his type of behavioural approach for any CEO and generally any leader or manager, makes from anyone a real “teacher” for others. But, as for any teacher, the personal touch is so important!
Elon loves to share his ideas and vision with others, no matter they are media representatives, his team's members, or people’s from other cultures, and he speaks what he is thinking, no matter this can be considered a craziness.
If we look at what's he's done 'till today, the fact that his word becomes his actions and a way of living it's a reality!
The key words in this extraordinary approach could be TRUST &LOVE ?!
Coming back to the public meeting, but not only there, when HE find a lacuna in someone’s knowledge the way he makes a learning process occurs is using Methaphores, like the Expressive’s from TRACOM's Social Styles Model love to do, and they are doing so easy and natural, every time when they want to make their point or they want to be understood by others.
Don’t rush in judging me, those who already know the TRACOM’s Social Style Model, I don't put the Expressive’s stick to Elon behaviour, but this guy has certainly a high Versatility factor.
LET'S LEARN FROM HIM:
Thats why his speeches and explanations are not just a man’s or the CEO’s explanations or messages to others, they are called “Musksplainers", like Matthew DeBord said. I love this term!
In my perception “musksplainers” — are those speeches what are authentically and born direct form your hard and mind, aligned to a clear vision,, what are made for others’ understanding and Style's preferences, and what explain to others different things, facts or concepts, in a manner that creates a great opportunity for learning.
There are not a big majority of peoples who loves staying, in their interactions, onto uncomfortable areas with high pressure or tension at the relationship level, but I know that all of them, finally can manage this. The way we are going through these high tensioned moments in life makes the difference, and yes in a public meeting or TV show this tension can be so present, depending on your stake
So how we react in these circumstances?
We can let our brain totally rules our Behaviours directly from our Crocodile Brain (our reptilian brain), hence reacting almost pathologically and harsh to mistakes, or we can make jokes and be ironical with others, take control over the speech and visible locking the other's opinion, or we can deal with a healthy humour but in such a simple and constructive manner for the speech and the Actors of that show, like Musk do.
Trusting in us, and in our way or vision, are keys to successful freedom in our speaking' manner, what can generates real learning speeches. When you really trust, from the bottom of your hard in something you've already put passion and work, no matter sometimes you won't find your words... and even make confusions, or you won't know all specifically terms or "dialects", you’ll certainly win the respect and the support of others, if you are congruent in your speaking and behaviour, and behave like a Versatile person, a Versatile Leader.
See there this Wonderfull CEO, who is considered for many peoples as a genius, how reacts when he met a confusion to Andrew Ross Sorkin from New York Times about: Fission vs. Fusion - in one of his Musksplainer conversations, occurred when he and Y. Combinator Sam Altman sat down to talk with Andrew Ross Sorkin of the New York Times and the conversation turned to the potential for nuclear power.
Anchor got no clue What-So-Ever when Elon Musk and Sam Altman starts discussing on Nuclear Fusion
: Elon Musk and Sam Altman discusses the probability of a nuclear fusion as a source of energy for the future. So the coolest think about a Great Leader is to live in a world of unlimited possibilities, in what any Mistake is just a simple citizen, what can anytime become a real life breakthrough for anybody.
Finally in my opinion fostering learning is the shortcut to self breakthrough, no matter what life's scenarios bring us to our plate! Hence :
- Learn can be fun, documented but easy, and why not a joyful "way of living"!
- The Coolest Leaders are source for valuable and continue learnings around them!
If we approach in this manner leadership, the key success factor in an efficient learning, just remember is to Be Versatile, live from NOW your vision of tomorrow and this will help also to your self-learning, but also to others development process!
Life is a true inspiration!
Nicole Dumitrescu.
