When You Mess Up, Fess Up!

If You Mess Up, Fess Up

There is a phrase I love, and it comes down to six words. If you mess up, fess up. I want to share two examples of why it matters, one from an airline I have been loyal to for years and one from a construction company CEO who taught me how to handle a mistake.

Short answer: When you make a mistake, own it right away. Say it plainly (“I messed this up, I’m sorry”), tell people what you’re going to do, and come with an action plan and a timeline. Be open with your team, your customer and your company. It builds trust, and you never have to manage a trail of lies.

An Airline I Have Always Liked

I have always really liked Southwest Airlines and its culture. I have read books about them. They are Lean, in my view. They use the same planes, they have the same operations, and they keep planes on the ground as little as possible. They were a scrappy startup in Texas, low price and very focused. I have been flying them for a long, long time, even without power outlets, the frills, or the little TVs on the back of the seats. I have just been loyal to them.

Over the 2022 holidays, they had weather problems, and their software systems went down and delayed what seemed like thousands upon thousands of flights. The U.S. Department of Transportation later fined Southwest $140 million, the largest consumer-protection penalty it had ever issued. Instead of coming out and saying, we messed this up, we totally tanked this, our systems are not up to speed, and we are going to make this right, they blamed it mostly on the weather, with a kind of veiled response.

Kate Schroeder, our CEO, teased me a little about it, and I told her they were still the best. Then I started looking into it. From what I read, the real root cause was outdated crew-scheduling technology, which their own employees had warned about. And the response should have been much more caring toward the passengers and much more proactive about rescheduling and making accommodations to get people where they needed to be for the holidays.

Many big companies give a veiled response when something else is really going on. It is something to seriously think about.

What Should Southwest Have Said?

From my perspective as a loyal passenger, imagine if they had said it plainly. We screwed this up. I am so sorry. We love you all. We made a bad decision. We are going to make this right by doing the following. We are rethinking our software upgrade decision. Our rollout plan is to get this done over the next six months. Please stay with us. We love you.

I would have said, I love you guys, I am so staying. I will be patient with you, as long as you keep the planes upgraded and maintained. It would not have been a big deal. Instead, I looked at Kate and said, if that is how they are going to treat me, let’s just switch to United. That is what your customers do when you are not owning the mistake.

What Did Bill Okland Teach Me About Mistakes?

I learned this from Bill Okland at Okland Construction. He is the CEO, and he is one of the best at customer service I have ever seen. If his company makes a mistake, they are immediately saying, “Yep, I did this, I made this mistake, how can I fix it?” Everyone leans in and gets it done. There is total transparency, total humility, and an effort to see the situation from the customer’s perspective.

As project teams, we were always coached by him to follow the same steps.

• If something happens, go and own it.
• Say it plainly, something like, I am not perfect, I apologize, I messed this up.
• Tell them what you are going to do.
• Come to them with an action plan.

I worked at Okland long enough that this became part of my culture. It was not beaten into my head. He was really sweet about it. It simply saturated into how I operate, and it is the approach I have taken in starting a business.

We Mess Up All the Time

In our own business, we mess up all the time. Sometimes we mess up in the translation of information. Sometimes we mess up the scheduling of a date. Sometimes we mess up in setting clear expectations of the outcome. Sometimes I miss an email that I should not have missed.

In each case, I get to say something like: I totally tanked that. I am so sorry. This is my plan. This is what I want to do. This is the timeline. What would make this right for you? It has been a game-changer.

You also never have to manage a trail of lies. Never lie. Just tell people what is going on. Tell people what is happening, and be open and transparent about it. It will always work out.

How Does This Apply in Construction?

I will be brief. When something happens, always be open and transparent with your team. When something happens, always be open and transparent with your customer. When something happens, always be open and transparent with the company you work for. Get it out there and get it done.

It will immediately unburden you. It will immediately build trust and connection. Everybody makes mistakes, and it will always work in the right direction. Nothing good ever comes from lying, and nothing good ever comes from taking the non-transparent road.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

So here is the challenge. The next time something goes wrong, be open and transparent with your team, your customer, or your company, and come with a plan. Remember, if you mess up, fess up.

Bottom line: nothing good ever comes from lying. If you mess up, fess up.

On we go.

FAQ

What does “if you mess up, fess up” mean?

When you make a mistake, say so right away, apologize, and come with an action plan, rather than hiding it or giving a veiled response.

Where does “if you mess up, fess up” come from?

I learned it from Bill Okland, CEO of Okland Construction, who coached project teams to own a mistake, apologize, and come to the customer with an action plan.

What kinds of mistakes do leaders make every week?

At Elevate we mess up in the translation of information, in scheduling a date, in setting clear expectations of the outcome, and sometimes I miss an email.

Who should you be transparent with in construction?

Your team, your customer, and the company you work for. Getting it out there immediately unburdens you and builds trust and connection.