Most great leaders make a variety of gaffes or missteps on a regular basis. However, what separates the best managers from those merely having the title involves how they learn from these mistakes. In a similar manner as with their direct reports, any error ultimately provides a critical learning opportunity. Learning how to “fail forward” is vital.
What kind of managerial mistakes have you made throughout your SecOps career? Perhaps you feel you failed to sufficiently engage your remote workers throughout the pandemic? Maybe your company suffered a data breach on your watch? With the goal of becoming a more effective cybersecurity leader, check out these insights on learning from your mistakes.
How Can You Grow From Making a Leadership Mistake?
Acknowledge Your Mistakes and Own Them
The worst managers typically blame others for their mistakes. If you fail to take ownership of your own errors, it ultimately reflects poorly on your leadership. Some might feel owning their mistakes makes them look weak. In fact, the opposite remains true. The best leaders boast high emotional intelligence; with no problem owning their professional mistakes.
Treat Each Mistake as a Learning Opportunity
As noted earlier, any professional mistake offers you the opportunity to learn and grow as a SecOps leader. The same rule also applies to your cybersecurity team. This type of attitude becomes critical when handling the always-changing world of IT infrastructure protection.
As a manager, you set the tone for your direct reports. Lead by example whenever you make a mistake. Watch this positive and constructive attitude become contagious as a result.
Expecting Failure Makes it Easier to Fail Forward
No technology manager expects their career to be mistake-free. Anyone with this attitude probably reacts poorly whenever they fail at their job. Expecting failure and having a plan to handle the situation remains the best way to learn from your mistakes.
Notably, Warren Buffet avoids investing in businesses if the leader hasn’t failed at least twice. This policy reveals the importance of learning from your managerial mistakes. They provide the critical knowledge and wisdom it takes to be a successful manager.
The same concept applies if you lead a team or even an entire company. In the end, to fail forward remains a key differentiator of the best managers in technology and specifically, SecOps.
Have You Grown as a Leader?
If you need an influx of talented SecOps professionals, connect with the team at Redbud Cyber. As one of the top cybersecurity staffing agencies in the country, we provide exceptional candidates to protect your IT assets. Schedule a meeting with us to discuss your current hiring plans.
