04/08/2026
The leadership trait I respect most isn’t competence. It’s accountability.
Over 20 years of leading teams across international and national companies taught me one thing:
I don’t expect leaders to know everything.
I expect them to say:
• “I don’t know yet.”
• “I misunderstood.”
• “Let me find out.”
• “I made the wrong call.”
Because leadership isn’t about always being right.
It’s about creating trust.
Ironically, leaders don’t lose credibility by admitting mistakes.
They lose credibility by pretending there wasn’t one.
The strongest leaders I’ve worked with weren’t the ones who made the fewest mistakes.
They were the ones who created psychological safety by taking responsibility - for decisions, communication, and outcomes.
That’s what people remember.
That’s what builds trust.
And that’s what teams follow.
What’s your take?
Have you ever worked with a leader who openly owned a mistake, and earned even more respect because of it?
Or have you experienced the opposite?
As a Leadership & Career Coach, I see this pattern more often than most leaders realize. Sometimes, one honest conversation is all it takes to transform the way a team communicates.
