We often hear all of the positive aspects of how having a team…
- frees up your time and energy
- allows you to stay in your zone of genius
- creates systems that allow you to scale
- gives you a sense of ease and peace of mind
And all of those are wonderful. But having a team (even an amazing team) also has its downsides—one of which is that they will, inevitably, make mistakes. And while we all understand that mistakes are normal, most entrepreneurs I talk with agree that it’s different when a team member makes a mistake in your business than when you do, and it can be incredibly challenging to know how to respond.
Team mistakes can range from mildly irritating (like using the wrong image on an Instagram post) to downright painful (like a tech oversight that costs thousands in lost revenue).
But the thing is: mistakes are inevitable—how you handle them is what really matters.
So, what do you do when your team makes a mistake in your business?
With almost a decade of experience managing teams across multiple businesses, here are 3 tips I’ve learned to navigate team mistakes so that they become learning opportunities rather than ongoing frustrations.
Tip #1: Address all mistakes (big or small)
Many entrepreneurs hesitate to point out mistakes to their team. They don’t want to come across as nitpicky, seem like they’re micromanaging, or make their team feel bad. So, they either brush it under the rug (“It’s not that big of a deal…”) or quietly fix the mistake themselves without saying a word.
Here’s why that’s a problem:
If you don’t address mistakes, your team never gets the chance to learn and improve. And when the same mistake (or a bigger one) happens again, it can be even more frustrating.
Addressing small mistakes early on prevents larger mistakes down the line—and it builds a culture where your team feels empowered to grow and take ownership.
Now, this next point might surprise you:
I don’t think it’s necessary to always have your team member fix their own mistakes. Yes, allowing them to fix their own mistakes can help with the learning process, but that isn’t always feasible. Sometimes the issue needs urgent attention or it requires you as the CEO to step in to handle it—and that’s okay.
What matters is that you still address the mistake with your team member, so that they know what happened.
Tip #2: Dig into what happened (and why)
Whenever a mistake is made, it can be tempting to just fix it and move on. However, it’s important for you and your team member to understand exactly what happened and why—because this is the key to preventing future issues.
Make it clear with your team member that the goal is to learn and improve rather than to blame or punish. Aim to bring curiosity to the conversation rather than frustration, and ask questions to understand where the breakdown happened.
Is it a process issue?
Lack of clear instructions?
A workflow bottleneck?
Miscommunication?
Is your team member overwhelmed or stretched too thin?
Or was it just normal human error?
We’re often quick to assume that mistakes mean a team member isn’t the right fit or they just weren’t paying attention. But sometimes all it takes is a simple conversation and a process tweak to prevent future issues.
Tip #3: Co-create a game plan
Entrepreneurs are natural leaders, so it’s normal to want to step in and decide what needs to change moving forward. But whenever possible, I recommend involving your team member in the discussion and prompt them to find a solution.
Here’s one of my favorite questions to ask:
“What do you need to prevent this from happening again?”
Maybe they need more training in a specific area or an extra tool or resource. Maybe the SOP documentation needs to be updated to make the process clearer. Maybe it’s necessary to set up a process for approvals or QA checks. Or maybe they need permission to go over hours so that they don’t feel pressure to rush through tasks in order to stay within their retainer.
The important thing is that you’re asking them to be involved in the problem-solving process. When you do this, it allows them to take more ownership in their role—and the solution is more likely to stick because you’ve decided on it together.
At the end of the day, we all know that team mistakes are inevitable—but they don’t have to derail your business or cause ongoing issues with your team.
When you address mistakes with these 3 things in mind, you create a space where your team feels safe to learn and grow. You’ll end up experiencing fewer mistakes (and less severe ones) because you’ve addressed root causes and created systems that minimize errors moving forward.
So the next time your team makes a mistake in your business, give these tips a try.
And if you want to learn more about how I can help teach your team to anticipate needs, solve problems, and keep things running smoothly—without relying on you for every decision, check out my Team Empowerment Program here.
