Death of the Strong Man
Managers are human being, and therefore make mistakes. That should not be a earth-shattering discovery for many of us. However it may be to some managers.
I am currently re-listening to Permission to Screw Up by Kristen Hadeed for the second time, and it is just as impactful as the first time. If you are in charge of managing people to any level, I highly recommend giving it a read.
The overall story of Student Maid is one of repeated mistakes and corrections, the majority of them coming from Kristen herself. One of the first stories was Kristen detailing what she considered to be the most embarrassing moments of her life. She calls it the walkout of the 45.
Student Maid started officially when Kristen was awarded a contract to clean an entire apartment complex in a little under three weeks. This made Kristen responsible for hiring dozens of people to do grueling short-term work for a three week period. As Kristen sat in a club house recliner eating a Caesar salad, 45 of her 60-person team walked in all at once and quit en-masse.
That night, Kristen gathered all 60 people in her apartment and broke down in front of them. It was the act of her admitting that she was in over her head that brought the team back. The whole team ended up going back to the apartments that night and cleaning them in record time.
As I was listening, I realized that it is our vulnerability, not our strength, that helps draw people to us. If you are perfect, no one wants to help you. It is the act of being scared and pushing through that attracts people to us.
The entire book is filled with stories of Kristen’s mistakes and missteps as an entrepreneur and how she used them to bring a team together.
If you are a manager, I invite you to be honest with your team. Tell them what you are dealing with on occasion and admit when you are wrong. The strong-man persona is not doing you any favors. Pretending to be near omnipotent and perfect will actually keep people from wanting to work with you. People may want a strong leader, but they do not want an invulnerable one. It is our flaws that humanize us.
If you are a leader, be the first person to admit when you are wrong. This gives you more credibility when you need to change direction. You team knows that mistakes can happen, but knowing that when they occur that you will take your punishment and adjust will keep them following you no matter what.