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Business Rule #6:
Pay Attention to the Details
October 15, 2004
(PAGE 3 of 3)
Now, I may hate to admit this, but I also exert control by authoritative means: “I’m the President of The LaVelle Organization. I’ve got the title and therefore the authority. As long as you’re working for me, it’s agreed that I give the orders and you are to follow them.” And if you’re not interested in following my orders, well, in true Apprentice fashion, there’s an elevator that goes down to the street instead of up to the suite.
With that said, let me say that making a mistake isn’t the end of the world. Don’t be like John—or even more to the point, Jennifer Crisafulli—if you screw up. If you’re in over your head, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
I hired a young woman once to run one of my human resource departments. During her first week, a junior employee left. Since we provide a severance package, she took it upon herself to put it together. But she did a stupid thing: she made an incorrect calculation and processed the paperwork for twice the amount that would have been appropriate.
She caught her mistake and placed a desperate call to the financial affairs department. Financial affairs asked her if she had already stopped payment. The young woman was so frantic that she hadn’t even considered it. Financial Affairs told her that they would see what they could do.
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She got a call a few minutes later from my CFO, Marc Hall, who asked, “What the hell happened here?” She tried to keep her emotion at bay and keep her voice calm as she fully admitted what she had done. “What can I say? I screwed up, Mr. Hall.” She wasn’t interested in making excuses.
Marc told her that he would call her back later in the day. For her, the hours that ticked by felt like an eternity. Late in the afternoon she got a call back from me personally. I told her, “We’ve taken care of it. And by the way, people make mistakes. We have a great accounting staff here. They are here for your support, so when you do make mistakes, they are here to back you up.”
She apologized, which by the way, is a good thing to do after making a mistake. A sincere and heartfelt apology gets you much more respect than trying to wriggle your way out of your predicament. Look how ridiculous John looked as he tried it! Unfortunately for him, the damage was already done. When he finally came to his senses and apologized, it was too late.
Be the master of your game. Don’t say that you can lead; go out and do it. The best leaders lead by example, not by words.
Until next time,
LaVelle Ward
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A sincere and heartfelt apology gets you much more respect than trying to wriggle your way out of your predicament.
