Building Trust: Why Admitting Mistakes Makes You a Leader Others Follow

A new manager calls an all-hands meeting on a Thursday morning. She's nervous—her last decision caused a shipment delay, so customers are calling, and staff morale has taken a dip. Rather than assigning blame, she opens with a direct admission: 'This was on me—I underestimated the workload. Here’s what I’ve learned, and here’s how we fix it.' There's a pause, then a surge of relief and collective problem-solving among the team.

Contrast this with the company across the street, where mistakes are swept under the rug or, worse, blamed on the lowest-ranking intern. Staff there compete defensively, trust each other less, and jump ship when the next opportunity appears. By publicly modeling openness and encouraging colleagues to share their own mistakes—with the emphasis on lessons and solutions, not penalties—the first group grows closer and more resilient. Graduate to a 'mistake of the month' award, and suddenly everyone is learning from each other's flubs. Behavioral psychologists know this as psychological safety: teams that treat errors as learning opportunities (instead of shame-inducing failures) innovate more, stick together longer, and outperform the competition.

Next time things go off track, skip the blame game and own your part—whether to your coworker, your teacher, or your teammates. Share not just what went wrong but what you'll do differently, and invite others to do the same. Try instituting a monthly or weekly ritual of candid 'learning moments,' making it clear that openness is a strength, not a weakness. Foster an environment where everyone roots for each other’s growth, not perfection. Give this trust-building habit a test run this month.