07/14/25
I was a young sales manager, and one of my reps kept falling behind on updating his pipeline.
We had multiple conversations about this.
I would email him often to remind him to update his pipeline.
He would reply saying he would get to it, but he would fall behind again and again.
He was by far the most non-compliant rep on my team when it came to keeping a clean pipeline.
My frustration kept getting worse and worse.
So one day, I decided I’d email him about his pipeline and CC the Director.
In the email, I highlighted where he was falling short in his follow-up and that I expected him to clean it up by the end of the week.
He replied saying he understood and that he would get to it right away.
You might think that this was the right decision, but I can tell you, it was a huge mistake on my part.
At the next team meeting, I could sense he was very upset with me.
He was quiet, serious, and disengaged.
It was later that evening that I realized how wrong I was in my approach.
I publicly shamed him in front of someone we all look at as an authority figure.
In doing this, I lost his trust.
As his leader, trust is the most important component of our relationship.
I messaged him that evening asking if he could meet with me 1 on 1 the next morning.
In that meeting, I looked him in the eye, and apologized.
I owned up to my mistake.
I acknowledged that my approach was wrong and that I shouldn’t have CC’d the Director.
I’ll never forget his response.
His eyes widened in surprise, because he probably thought I was going to reprimand him.
He deeply appreciated my sincere apology.
We then came up with a plan on how he could keep up with his pipeline.
While I’d love to tell you everything was picture perfect after that, it wasn’t, but it was vastly improved.
The most important outcome of this instance was that our relationship improved dramatically following this conflict.
As leaders, we make mistakes.
It happens.
What I encourage you to consider is that if you make a mistake, own up to it.
Apologize if an apology is warranted.
Take full responsibility for the impact you have on others, especially if it affects how they feel about their job and their relationship with you.
Your human.
You mess up.
Don’t be the leader who tries to project perfection.
Be the leader who shows your humanity, protects your employees, and encourages a high-performing, transparent, and trusting culture.
Rooting for you,
Jay (encouraging you to be human)
