“I feel bad.”
Why so down?
“We have a production issue.”
You manage technical operations. There’s nothing unusual about supporting production issues.
“We shouldn’t be having this particular issue.”
Why not?
“This issue was caused by a software bug.”
Did you report the bug to the software vendor?
“Of course. The vendor’s support team recommended an upgrade to fix the bug.”
Sounds like you found the path forward.
“Yes, but…”
I’m listening.
“We’re behind on versions. We should have did the upgrade last year. The upgrade would have prevented the current issue in prod.”
And you feel upset over it?
“Right. Because I asked my team to put off the upgrade in favor of other priorities.”
That’s understandable. Priorities tend to be fluid, especially for technical operations teams.
“But I hold myself responsible. After thinking about it, we could have shifted priorities to make room for the upgrade.”
It’s okay to make mistakes. You learned from the experience. That’s a plus.
“Learning won’t change our current situation. Now we have unstable production systems. We could have prevented this by doing the upgrade last year. I feel like I failed.”
Overcome failure
How can I help?
“I’m not sure how to overcome this feeling of failure.”
You’re gonna be okay. I’ll show you how to bounce back from this setback. First, let’s focus on your remediation plan for the production issue. What actions have you taken so far?
“We opened a support case with the vendor. Their support team recommended the upgrade to the new version. We have to push out the upgrade across multiple prod systems. My team is testing the upgrade now. We’re a week away from deployment. We expect the upgrade process to take a few weeks.”
Good. You’ve covered all of your technical bases. What about the people part of your action plan?
“I assigned my team members to work on the upgrades.”
What about the people part?
“I already answered that question.”
Not quite.
Develop customer mindset
Technical operations teams manage production systems. We provide services to users. Our users count on us to maintain stable and reliable systems for the business. Sometimes, screw ups are gonna happen, causing an adverse impact on production. I’ve made my share of mistakes. Like that time I… Well, that’s a topic for another funky T-shirt! Throughout my career, I’ve developed a customer mindset. The users of my services are my customers. That’s where the people part comes in. If I make a mistake that impacts production, I hold myself accountable to my customers.
“Yikes. I want to feel better, not beat myself up!”
You’re going to start the healing process by making an accountability statement to your customers.
“Seems like a lot of trouble. We’re taking action on the issue. We’re doing the upgrade. Once we’re done, the problem will be solved.”
Build credibility as leader
That’s not good enough, not unless you aspire to be my favorite cryptid, Bigfoot. Like all cryptids, Bigfoot has a credibility problem. Over the years, lots of people have claimed to see the ape-like creature, but the lack of evidence has led skeptics to doubt the veracity of the sightings.
“Uh, how is Bigfoot relevant to my situation?”
You need credibility to be successful as a leader. There are different ways to build credibility, one of which is taking responsibility for your actions when you screw up. People have been impacted by your operational oversight. Although you’ve taken personal responsibility, you’re going to go the extra mile and make an accountability statement to your customers. Show that you are a responsible leader. Show that you care about your customers.
“I get it now. Just thinking about making that statement makes me feel better about myself. I’ll send out an email to our users. I owe them an explanation for the issue.”
Be accountable to your customers
Now, you see the bigger picture. That’s great! To help you succeed, here’s the outline for your accountability statement email:
- Summarize the production issue
- State the impact of the issue, including any risks to the stability of your production systems
- List the actions taken by your team, including troubleshooting, vendor engagement and any interim mitigation steps
- Announce the vendor-recommended upgrade solution
- Acknowledge your responsibility for skipping the upgrade, including lessons learned and planned improvements
- Share the upgrade plan, timeline and any downtime requirements
- List out any actions required for users to prepare for the upgrade
- Close with a statement making yourself available for questions
Keep the email brief and on point with each item from the outline. Use the word “I” instead of “we” to preface your acknowledgement sentence. Remember: You are taking responsibility, not your team. Be prepared for questions and critical feedback from others. That’s okay. By making the accountability statement, you’ve demonstrated how, as a leader, you’re human and willing to admit a mistake. Moreover, you’ve showed your customers that you have a well-considered remediation plan. That goes a long way towards building your credibility as a leader.
On a personal level, after you make an accountability statement, you’re going to feel a sense of emotional relief. Up to that point, you’ve been living with regret. You’re moved past the regret stage to the acceptance stage. Now, you can move forward and focus on solving other problems.
Conclusion
You’re gonna make mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up. Take action. Coming forward with an accountability statement about your mistakes helps to build your credibility and improves your emotional well-being.