It is easy to point the finger at someone if something wrong happened in the execution of a plan. For instance, if your marketing campaign did not go as you expected, you can quickly blame the ones involved in its conception and implementation. As a leader, you need to avoid the blame game since it is not healthy.
You are discouraging everyone
Some people might think that it is an excellent idea to blame people and make them feel sorry about what they did so they will learn their lesson. Perhaps, it is possible for some employees to have this realisation. However, it is also possible for it to go the other way. Instead of feeling motivated to do well the next time, they give up. They feel like they are not doing a great job and it is better for them to leave the team. Imagine if each member of the marketing department leaves because of how terrible you make them feel when they fail. It is not a healthy practice, and you need to avoid it.
You are a part of the failure
Since you are the leader, you are a part of the team that failed. Instead of pointing fingers, you need to take responsibility. It is crucial for you to show that you feel everyone’s struggles and you understand why things ended up this way. Tell them what went wrong based on your assessment, but do not blame anyone in particular.
Analyse the failure
You can talk about what happened without blaming anyone. Discuss the issues that occurred and what led to the collapse of the plan. You need to use these ideas to help you decide the next step. Emphasise the values you learned and how you can apply them.
Plan the next step
You can analyse the mistake but do not dwell on them. It is crucial to start looking for new plans as you move forward. You can start over again and ask for ideas from everyone in the team. Your previous mistake might be the exclusion of people outside the group in the brainstorming session. This time, you can invite them to join you and give a different perspective. You might also be wrong in rushing the implementation of your marketing plan. This time, you can set a clear timeline that makes everyone comfortable finishing the tasks. Starting from this phase onwards, you need to avoid the mistakes that doomed your previous campaign.
Be optimistic
As you start determining what happened last time, you might have a hard time figuring out what went wrong. The problem could be your attitude throughout the entire phase. You were not enthusiastic in doing any part of the process. For instance, if the plan included the use of trade show stands, maybe you did not believe that they would succeed. You created an excellent design, but you thought it would be a disaster. Sometimes, your attitude can also affect the results of your plan.
Blaming does not lead to anything meaningful, so be mature enough to take responsibility and move forward.
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