Summary: In this episode I discuss what leaders should do to repair credibility after a system or project failure. Just a couple of things before we get started. First I am very excited to announce that this show is available on Stitcher Radio please visit www.stitcher.com where you can listen to popular talk radio shows and podcasts via the stitcher app for Android, iPhone, and iPad. Also please go into iTunes and rate this show, preferably with a five-star rating. I am also open to feedback and would like to connect with you via my website at www.cioplaybook.com, and email at jeffrey@cioplaybook.com, via twitter @jeffreyhurley, and LinkedIn. The purpose of the CIO Playbook is to help you grow in your leadership and technology career objectives and we are always looking to improve this show and your feedback and thoughts are important to us. I love doing this show and really enjoy the opportunity to meet you. Mistakes happen every day along with events. These mistakes and events are not bad in and of themselves it is how we react to them that matters. There is a battle inside of each of us for our soul; two great warriors on opposite sides fighting a terrible fight within for control. One warrior represents fear, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other warrior stands for joy, peace, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The question is which of these warriors will you give advantage to? Resilience is a key trait for management and leadership success. 1) Assess the damage: avoid making a decision in the heat of the moment or when you are panicking, rather take a step back and assess the situation and look at what you have to rebuild with. 2) Own your mess: don’t try to spin it own up to the issues and demonstrate how you plan to correct them Ken Cameron, A Senior IT Infrastructure Sourcing Adviser “The first thing that comes to my mind is "honesty". Expanding: my background is IT Infrastructure services, so my focus would be on service failures. One trait I try to instill into my infrastructure management teams is let's try to tell the users about a failure BEFORE they tell us. 3) Frame the situation constructively: try drawing parallels to greater truths such “Software is never perfect” etc. Then follow-up with a personal statement like, "we seek to learn from ours and others mistakes to avoid making the same mistake again". 4) Make that phone call: look stuff happens, you can analyze it, role play it, forecast it whatever it is still going to happen and our friend Murphy, the guy with that law we are all familiar with, says it will happen at the most inopportune time. So pick up the phone quickly and call your key clients or stakeholders and get out in front of the situation. They will appreciate you more for it and will be prepared when the inevitable questions do arise. Everyone hates to get caught in the hallway unprepared when an ambush question from their staff comes up or even worse the press I have always felt that relating the facts, without twisting them to avoid blame, is critical to establishing a lasting, trustful relationship with the business users. I always make it a policy to follow-up with user executives and ask them for feedback on how we handled the situation, did we communicate effectively, what should we have done differently. 5) Monitor the media: monitor the office environment. After you have called the key stakeholders, who are more willing to accept your apology, you also have to keep an ear to the ground to listen for news or rumours that are heading in the wrong direction and get the positive response message out to them as quickly as possible 6) Ditch excuses: a mistake is really an opportunity to enhance your image, especially if it is widely known, you can play your message if you avoid excuse making,
