How You Respond to Someone Else’s Wrong Decision

Situation

Eventually, someone on your team will make a decision you disagree with.

Sometimes they'll make the wrong call.

Your first reaction might be frustration. "Why would you do that?"
You may even know immediately what they should have done instead.

That's the easy part.

The leadership test comes next.

Observation

You can respond to a bad decision in two ways.

You can make the person regret making the decision...

Or you can help them understand why it was the wrong one.

Those are very different outcomes.

If your first response is anger, embarrassment, or "I told you so," you may get compliance—but you won't necessarily get growth.

If you approach the situation with curiosity, accountability, and perspective, you create an opportunity for the person to learn.

That doesn't mean letting the decision slide.

Accountability still matters.

But accountability should answer two questions:

What happened?

And more importantly:

What will we do differently next time?

Beacon Lens

A mistake doesn't automatically require punishment.

Sometimes it requires understanding.

Before reacting, ask yourself:

Was this a bad decision made with good judgment and bad information—or was it a bad decision made without judgment?

Those are two very different coaching conversations.

Leadership Principle

Don't make someone pay twice for one mistake.

Let the consequence teach them once.

Then make sure the lesson sticks.

Coaching Question

"What information did you have when you made that decision, and knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?"

That question is powerful because it doesn't immediately tell them they're wrong.

It makes them examine their own thinking.

1% Better

The next time someone on your team makes a decision you disagree with, pause before responding.

Ask one question before giving your opinion.

You may learn something about the situation.

You may learn something about the person.

And you may learn something about yourself.

Leadership Leaves Clues

Great leaders don't use mistakes to prove they're right. They use them to make the people around them better.