Admitting You Made a Mistake

Every single CEO, Leader or Business Owner you admire has made a mistake.

There’s no way to run a business without having a few hiccups. You are going to make mistakes as a leader and as an owner. Your team is going to make mistakes, too. How you handle these makes all the difference to your team and to your clients.

So what do you do?

Take responsibility.

Whether you made a mistake or your team messed up an order, admitting it happened is a must, right from the beginning. This lets your clients and your team know they are being heard and taken seriously.

Be specific.

Say: “I’m sorry for ________” and fill in the blank with exactly what went wrong or what you could have done better.

#ProTip: This works even when you did everything right and the client is still having some trouble. For example: “I’m sorry for not explaining the process better on the front end” or “I’m sorry for not double checking before we moved forward.”

Because even if you did everything right, if the client is frustrated there’s almost always something you wish you did better in hindsight.

Let them know how you’re responding.

This is where you’ll be tempted to showcase why the mistake was made, which isn’t a bad thing, but what clients really want to know is how you’re moving forward. Lead with that!

Finally, ask how you can help make it better.

So many times there is something going on in your client’s world you don’t know about and there’s something you can do to help them overcome.

Simply asking lets your client know you’re on their side and that means a lot to them!

– Jessica Crum

Owner and Creative Director at Silverlake, Jessica leads our team in producing logos, websites, and packaging for hundreds of businesses and nonprofits across the country. Jessica loves to help others find their purpose, is a diehard vintage shopper, and appetizers are her favorite food.