All leaders should be aware of the fact that they are not as great as their own ego is suggesting to them. In practice this means learning not only how to say the following sentences, but to sincerely feel them as well. They were summarized for cbsnews.com by the popular author of management articles Steve Tobak.
1. “I accept full responsibility.”
Many leaders say this sentence, but not nearly everyone actually means it. And people detect this very quickly.
2. “I was wrong and I apologize.”
Being able to publicly admit a mistake is an essential leadership skill.
3. “To tell the truth, I don’t know.”
Admitting that you don’t know something does not mean you’ll lose your authority. In fact, the exact opposite is true, and you’ll also rid yourself of unnecessary stress.
4. “What do you expect from me?”
Leaders should know what specifically they can do for their people.
5. “Do what’s right for the customers and shareholders.”
Support a healthy dose of risk taking.
6. “Let me think.”
You don’t have to decide immediately about everything. Give yourself a little bit of time to gather and evaluate more information.
7. “What can go wrong?”
Leaders should also think about the fact that things don’t have to go as smoothly as they would expect.
-kk-