Imagine.

You are being approached for an interview with one of the largest TV networks in your country. Maybe it is CNN in the United States or BBC in England. And you can answer all the questions from your home office through a Skype video call.

Even though you are an expert in your field, it is still quite an honor.

You say “yes!”

However, there is one “but.”

It will be a live remote broadcast.

And during the interview you will have two small – about ages one and four – children at home.

You and your partner discuss it. Your partner assures you that the children will be out of sight. The TV audience of millions won’t hear a sound.

But in reality ….

During the live broadcast – exactly at the moment you’re answering a difficult question – your oldest child runs into your room. To make matters worse, your youngest is right behind her and honors you with a visit as well. And to top it off, your panicking wife comes running into your office and grabs the children in a not too gentle way. She’s unsuccessful in trying to hide herself and the kids from the camera. Result, your interview got interrupted big time.

Although this might sound like a scenario from a bad soap opera series, it happened. Last week.

During a BBC’s life broadcast a professor was interviewed by the BBC and his interview was interrupted by his children and his wife. If you haven’t seen it yet, this is a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh4f9AYRCZY

We all make mistakes. We’re in the same boat there.

Most of the time it is not the mistake itself that causes problems. It is our reactions to those mistakes. We might panic; cover up the mistake; find excuses; or simply ignore it. And let’s not forget, beating others or ourselves up.

As a leader you want to choose a different path.

You want to be responsible:

                                   RESPONSE   ABLE

You respond by:

BREATHE

Don’t jump into action but take a deep breath before doing anything. Your first inclination might be a very good one. It also could be based on panic, anger, or fear. So, take that breathe and calm yourself down.

APOLOGIZE

A real apology. We all get that making mistakes is human. People appreciate, however, a sign that you take full responsibility for your mistake. That full responsibility starts with an apology if needed.

FIX IT

Get very clear about what is the damage caused by your mistake. Then fix it if possible.

ANALYZE

How can you prevent such a mistake in the future? Sometimes organizations immediately choose the route of creating a SOP but that is not always the best route to take. Get to the root of what really has been going on. Maybe when you made the mistake, you were tired or stressful. No SOP will help with that. So, analyze. And be honest in your analysis.

Coaching question:

How do you normally react when you make a mistake?