The Errors in the Culture of Infallibility

Daniel Gross, writing for the The Daily Beast,  pointed it out. We are very eager adopters of a culture of infallibility. 

Mr. Gross's primary subject, Ron Johnson, the much-heralded arrival and now departed CEO of JCPenney, was popularly thought to be infallible.  As the head of Apple stores, Mr. Johnson built a heady success story of not only monumental sales, but also of a cultural shift in world retailing.  Many people thought the same magic could be brought to JCPenney;  they now appear to be wrong.

Similarly, as Mr. Gross points out, we mistakenly thought that the dotcom boom might never bust; or that the real estate market, pre-2008, would continue soaring.

We love a great success story.   We should also realize, however, that no being, no leader, no entity is infallible.

Leaders who portray themselves as infallible, or teams who believe their leaders are error free are in for a sorry surprise.  Yes, there are people who have the right answers for the right time.   There are leaders who are amazing at coaching and aligning their teams. We should not transcend that to mean, however, that they, or ourselves are surrounded with an aura of "I'm-always-right."

Ditto our regard for companies, organizations, systems, etc.   We may be amazed at a company's sales acceleration.  We may be dazzled at the efficiency of a system or the strong operating culture of an organization.  Simultaneously, however, we should be aware of potential downfalls or weaknesses or even other opportunities.

Neither should we expect team members to be perfect.   That's not to say we should not have standards; but we should expect high performing team members to be adventurous and entrepreneurial.   Team members cannot be those things, however, if they are operating without the net that allows them to make mistakes.

We like everything to be perfect - it's easier that way.  To be aware, however, that no one or no thing is perfect is in line with the reality of life.

• If we believe that something is perfect, or nearly so, then when the inevitable happens, and something goes wrong, we are sorely disappointed.  We then have to spend time and energy to recalibrate - because we had unrealistic expectations.  Moreover, the foundation we built upon infallibility has crumbled and we are disillusioned.  Had we been more realistic up front - we would have been wiser.
• If we position ourselves as infallible, we are setting the stage for certain failure.   It is almost the sit-com stereotype of the boss who cannot be wrong, but inevitably is served just desserts in terms of a spectacular pratfall.  It is better to admit up front that we will make mistakes, just as team members will make mistakes.

As opposed to engaging in the culture of infallibility, let's engage in the culture of looking at people and issues multi-dimensionally.   Let's acknowledge that what may be successful in one situation may not be successful in a different situation.   Let's explore the world of options as we seek the best possible answers for both our businesses and the teams with which we have the privilege of working.

Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders," available for e-readers, IPad, IPhone, tablets and PCs from Amazon Kindle.