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Managers’ Biggest Blunders

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Nobody’s perfect, including the boss. Managers, we polled recently, acknowledged making a number of mistakes, from not recognizing staff accomplishments to inadequate communication to poor hiring decisions. Here is a sampling.

Withholding praise was a problem cited by many:
"I didn’t give recognition to someone who turned out to be one of my best employees and soon lost her."
"I didn’t give credit when it was due to individuals who made major contributions."
"I failed to acknowledge someone who needed to be rewarded. I have regretted that for years."

Letting poor performance go unchecked:
"I kept someone on who should have been let go."
"I didn’t recognize that someone was in way over her head.”
“Keeping a person in a position where he failed was my biggest mistake."

Not hiring the right staff:
"I encouraged a group manager to hire an internal candidate when an external candidate was better qualified."
"Hiring people who are too similar to me has been a mistake."
"I hired an executive-level individual for a much less senior-level job."

Not pay attention to what’s going on with staff:
"I didn’t pick up on signals from disgruntled employees." I regret not seeing the signs that someone was going to leave.
"I failed to clearly understand an employee’s situation and ended up losing him."
"I wish I had provided more opportunities for subordinates to engage in projects they enjoyed."

False assumptions often led to trouble:
"I assumed I knew what my employees’ problems were instead of talking to them. Now I talk to my employees instead of assuming that I know what’s going on."
"I assumed someone’s motives were like mine and he would want to make his job a career."
"I assumed someone was very knowledgeable when she wasn’t. It backfired on me when a presentation was made."

Although management mistakes can be a learning experience, some lessons come at a hefty price. "I delegated some work on a project and never checked to see if it was completed. A year later, I discovered it had never been done, and it cost the company about a million dollars."

Still, while errors can be painful, it’s best to acknowledge them and move on. "Early in my career, I didn’t admit my mistakes, and it was very damaging. I have since changed my ways." Over time, however, most supervisors learn from their mistakes and are able to improve their managerial performance.

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