When was the last time a leader in your organization openly said,
“I was wrong”?
It's not a common occurrence in many workplaces. And that's a missed opportunity.
Admitting a mistake might seem risky–especially for someone in a position of authority. It requires vulnerability. It takes humility. And it certainly takes courage.
But here's what I've seen: those few, powerful words–“I was wrong”–can build trust faster than a hundred pep talks.
We often hear that trust is earned over time. That's true. But in my experience, admitting a mistake–especially when the stakes are high–can accelerate trust-building more than most other leadership behaviors. It creates a ripple effect: others feel safer being honest, too. Psychological Safety increases. And with that comes openness, creativity, and continuous improvement.
I wrote about this in The Mistake-Smart Leader's Checklist, where admitting a mistake is one of six key behaviors that help leaders build trust and foster a learning culture. You can download it for free here.
To continue the conversation, I've also created a poll on LinkedIn asking this very question:
When was the last time a leader in your workplace admitted they were wrong?
You can respond to the poll.
The poll is closed… here are the results:
Please take a moment to vote–and feel free to share a story in the comments. When have you seen a leader earn trust through vulnerability?
What do you think about the results? It doesn't surprise me that 61% of people said “rarely” or “never.”
Please scroll down (or click) to post a comment. Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Let’s work together to build a culture of continuous improvement and psychological safety. If you're a leader looking to create lasting change—not just projects—I help organizations:
- Engage people at all levels in sustainable improvement
- Shift from fear of mistakes to learning from them
- Apply Lean thinking in practical, people-centered ways
Interested in coaching or a keynote talk? Let’s start a conversation.
