Public failures and fumbles are painful to say the least. 

I’ve recently had a handful of clients come to me feeling crushed after making a mistake, fumbling, or failing publicly. The most prominent outcome in all of their stories? SHAME. Their instinctual behavior to manage the shame? Hide, deny, or deflect.

Fun fact, people don't actually trust leaders who never admit to making mistakes. Mistakes are a demonstration of humanity, authenticity, and vulnerability. We trust people who we see as human, fallible, and REAL.

We trust people who aren't afraid to take accountability. We trust people who don't shy away from saying sorry.

At the end of the day, our public mistakes don’t have to be the end of our credibility. In fact, they can become a powerful part of the evolution of our growth and credibility as a leader. In this episode, I’m digging into how public fumbles can actually make you a better leader, and I’ll walk you through the four steps (borrowed from restorative justice practices) to move through mistakes in a way that builds, rather than breaks, your credibility:

Take responsibility for your part in the mess.

Apologize for any harm done.

Share and demonstrate what you’ve learned.

Commit to the steps you’ll take to do better next time.

By taking these steps, you are modeling humility, integrity, strength, grace, and a healthy sense of ego. When you model these things, people trust you MORE. People see you as more credible and authentic. People feel more connected to you. You become the kind of leader people remember and emulate. 

I’ll also talk about how to let go of the shame of failure as an essential step for moving forward. The reality is, being a great leader is far more about being real than being perfect. Processing the shame is part of being real and giving yourself the grace to be imperfect.

If you’ve ever found yourself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons—or feared what might happen if you do—this conversation will give you a roadmap for navigating those moments with integrity, humility, and strength.

Links Mentioned:

Attend my Influence & Ignite Retreat for Women Business Owners: saradean.com/retreat

Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking

Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks

Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks

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