Never Blame, and Always Have a Corrective Plan

Sometimes things go wrong. This is inevitable. When this happens, don't pass the blame on. Most business executives understand that mistakes happen. What they struggle with is an unwillingness to take responsibility and then move forward with a corrective plan.

I recently spoke to a group in which my message was to work with passion and to work decisively toward a solution. If you do so, when you make a mistake, you might find that you can correct it before anybody notices.

Although I was making a humorous point, the underlying message has some truth to it.

If you are decisive and moving forward, you will automatically separate yourself from your peers. The ability and willingness to make decisions is one of the most sought-after qualities in an employee. And yet, many people don't do that. In many cases, this is because of a fear of failure.

Informally, here is the model I used. I believed that I would make the right choice or decision 80 percent of the time. I created a course of action and then put it into place. Usually it worked out great. However, in those instances in which something went wrong or didn't work, I quickly adopted corrective action and moved forward.

By modeling that attitude, you demonstrate both initiative and responsibility. If the company that you are working for doesn't want that type of employee, I recommend looking for other opportunities.