The second rule of Manager Club is: It’s always your fault.
As a manager you take personal responsibility for the performance of your team. Their successes or failures are your successes or failures. There will come moments where you feel that someone on your team is underperforming and needs to be removed. It’s critical you recognize that their failure is your failure, because either:
- The person was a bad fit for the team, role, or task, and you failed to catch this in the interview process. This person’s term on your team was unproductive, and now you will have to backfill.
- The person was poorly managed, by you, their manager. You failed to correct this by filling your own skill gaps, or by transferring them to a more capable manager. The company has lost a key asset.
This does not mean that the individuals on your team have no personal responsibility for their successes or failures. It does mean that you bear that responsibility equally with them. Taking ownership of this failure provides you with personal growth opportunities, and the ability to perfect your system.
Determine which of the above breakdowns occurred and own that failure. Consider that it may have been both. If the former, look back on your notes from interviewing this person. What criteria did you consider? What skills were you screening for? Somewhere, a breakdown occurred in your process. Find and fix it. If the latter, you’ve uncovered an opportunity for growth and development. Start by seeking feedback from your peers on how you handled this individual and what you might have done differently.
Saying “this was my fault” signals to your leadership that you can be trusted as a steward of the company’s resources. It will signal to your peers that they too must own their wins and losses. And it will signal to your team that you expect clear ownership and honest dialogue when someone fails, because you are no exception.
This honest dialogue and ownership of failure matters because it’s the first step to getting better. It’s impossible to improve shortcomings we can’t admit we have. When it’s your fault, you can improve yourself and the system. If it’s not your fault, you’re still down a team member and unlikely to prevent this from happening again.
None of the above is easy. You should do it because it will make you better at selecting the right people for your teams and at leading those teams to success. Mastering both makes you and those you lead better at achieving your goals. Admitting failure requires self-awareness and an absence of ego that is widely respected and admired. People want to work for a human that takes ownership of their problems and finds solutions. Be such a human.
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