{"id":858,"date":"2016-01-20T17:51:13","date_gmt":"2016-01-20T17:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lindajohnsonleadership.com\/?p=858"},"modified":"2024-02-01T18:32:36","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T18:32:36","slug":"reverse-engineering-your-worst-management-disasters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lindajohnsonleadership.org\/reverse-engineering-your-worst-management-disasters\/","title":{"rendered":"Reverse-Engineering Your Worst Management Disasters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reverse engineering<\/strong>\u00a0is taking apart an object<\/em> to see how it works in order to duplicate or enhance<\/em> the object. \u00a0– WhatIs.com<\/p>\n

Reverse engineering our disasters means really examining them, rather than sweeping them under the rug in embarrassment.We may be leaders. We may be managers, even at a high level. But being human, we will blow it sometimes. Sometimes BIG TIME. Part of recovering from our failures is to determine to grow from them.<\/p>\n

We grow when we learn to\u00a0be honest, really reflect on our disasters and their repercussions and learn to ask ourselves good, hard questions. I recommend having your management coach, immediate supervisor or trusted colleague help by asking you good questions, too. Notice that none of them are “why” questions. They’re not off-limits but it is too tempting to do the parental “why did you break the lamp?” accusation for which there is no real answer.<\/p>\n

For each question there are implied follow-up questions that for space’s sake I did not note here. For example: “Has this happened before?” should be followed up by “Give examples. Then what happened? How did you respond then? To what consequence, if any?”<\/p>\n

Your answers lie in the follow-up questions. All of this takes\u00a0courage<\/strong> and accountability to do well.<\/p>\n

Here are five examples. Make up your own.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. You hired the wrong wo\/man<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ask yourself:<\/p>\n