When We're Wrong - Recovering from Bad Decisions

How do you feel when you finally see and admit to yourself that you were wrong? What if the mistake ended up being very costly? Are you haunted by mistakes past?

Human systems are chaotic - sensitive to conditions and impossible to predict with certainty. Decisions made in human systems will sometimes fail because:

• We did not do the right research
• The reactions after the decision was not what you expected
• Conditions, that are out of your control, change
• The decision was poorly communicated/supported
• You/the workplace/the team was not ready for the change in the first place

I am most pained by mistakes I make that affect people or that cause a domino affect of negative reactions.  But we have to keep swinging (informed swinging) or we will become irrelevant. Great managers make more bad decisions than do mediocre managers. Why? Because great managers approach and get active in more situations. Mediocre managers are more likely to sit back and let others make decisions or let situations linger.

Management is not an exact science and on some days it is more art than science. As much as we all hate making bad decisions, it happens to the best and brightest. What's important is the present - what, in this moment, can you do to make the greatest positive difference? How can you learn from mistakes in ways that will benefit your work more than the right decision could have?

Comments

[jen_chan, writer SureFireWealth.com]

You're absolutely correct. The worst things can happen to the best of us. Bouncing back from a bad decision is difficult enough but having a certain level of authority in the company makes everything 10 times harder. However, there are great rewards waiting for those who have managed to overcome their challenges and move forward.

[Lisa Haneberg]

Yes, the harder it is, the more human we are. Management and leadership is hard, but that's why we are here - to take managed risks and make decisions.

[Yow Chuan]

Personally I prefer to take the risk of making a bad decision than to sit still and do nothing at all. There's nothing wrong about having to say sorry and be accountable for the bad decisions made, as long as we keep striving for the betterment of the organisation as a whole.

That being said, all decisions must be made accountable, otherwise, people can just simply decide and not having to worry about the consequences later on.