Don't hide from errors. Steve Munn found that when he made a mistake, taking ownership and handling it well actually enhanced client "stickiness" and deepened the relationship. Clients saw he cared and was accountable, building more trust than if the error never happened.
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True accountability extends beyond your own direct mistakes. Even when someone else is the cause of a problem, hold yourself responsible for having put yourself in that situation. This mindset empowers you to learn from the experience and avoid similar issues in the future by analyzing your choices.
By openly admitting your inconsistencies while still advocating for a principle, you remove the deceptive claim to unearned status that angers people. This vulnerability prevents a 'gotcha' moment and fosters a more honest conversation, building trust and allowing imperfect people to advocate for important causes.
In high-visibility roles, striving for perfect communication is counterproductive. Mistakes are inevitable. The key to credibility is not avoiding errors, but handling them with authenticity. This display of humanity makes a communicator more relatable and trustworthy than a polished but sterile delivery.
The stress and anxiety felt after a sales interaction goes poorly is not a weakness. It signals a high degree of ownership and responsibility—core traits of successful salespeople. Those who feel this pain are more likely to learn, adapt, and ultimately be trusted by clients.
When a client offers harsh, fundamental criticism during a pitch, the best response is not to defend the work but to acknowledge the miss. One CEO won a pitch by immediately conceding the point and offering to re-pitch, demonstrating humility and confidence.
Stanford's famous "Interpersonal Dynamics" course teaches a counterintuitive leadership principle: sharing personal vulnerabilities and imperfections doesn't weaken a leader's position. Instead, it builds trust and fosters stronger connections, shifting relationships from a mystery to something one can actively shape through authentic behavior.
Customers and audiences don't trust you because every product is perfect; they trust you because you consistently show up. The identity shift from being someone who creates perfect things to someone who is reliable is crucial. Consistency in shipping and showing up will always outperform sporadic, 'perfect' launches.
Founders often fear scaling a service business because they believe only they can provide the 'personal touch.' This is an ego-driven bottleneck. The correct approach is to hire, accept that mistakes will happen, fire underperformers, and use sincere apologies and refunds to repair client relationships. Service failures are a predictable cost of scaling.
People connect with humanity, not perfection. True leadership requires understanding your own narrative, including flaws and traumas. Sharing this story isn't a weakness; it's the foundation of the connection and trust that modern teams crave, as it proves we are all human.
A simple act of pausing to ask for clarification when you don't understand something demonstrates genuine engagement and active listening. This small gesture can be more persuasive to a prospect than a flawless pitch, as it shows you are prioritizing understanding over just speaking.
