Hey Unfiltered Folks,

Answer: Because you punish your team when they admit mistakes. So they hide them.

Then you swoop in and apologize to save the day.
You think you're being the hero.
You're not.
You're training them to hide mistakes until you find out.

This is your fault.

You created a culture where honesty is dangerous. Every time they admit an error, you make them pay for it. So they stopped admitting errors.

Question to Consider: What happens when your team admits a mistake to you?

Why: If admitting mistakes gets you in trouble, you stop admitting them.

Here's what happened: someone made a mistake.
They told you.
You got mad.
Maybe you yelled.
Maybe you sent a sharp email.
Maybe you just gave them the look.

They learned: don't tell the boss when you screw up. So they stopped.

Now they hide mistakes. They try to fix them quietly. Meanwhile, the customer is angry. The mistake festers. Eventually you find out. You apologize to the customer. You look like the hero. But you created the problem.

The cost? You never hear about mistakes until they're customer-facing. Your team hides problems. Small mistakes become big crises. Customer trust erodes. Your best people leave because they can't be honest. The ones who stay are good at hiding.

You've built a culture of deception. All because you punished honesty. Leaders who can't handle mistakes create cultures where mistakes get hidden.

Action: Change how you react to mistakes today.

When someone admits an error, thank them first. "Thanks for telling me."

Then solve it together.

Stop punishing honesty.
Start rewarding it.

Soon your team will tell you about mistakes early, when they're small and fixable. But you have to prove it's safe first.

Stay Unfiltered,
— Andy

P.S. If admitting mistakes gets you in trouble, you stop admitting them.

P.S.S. Buy my book to get 75 of the most painful leadership problems and fixes.