Tony Fadell on Leaders Taking Ownership During a Crisis

This week’s quote comes from Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell. Tony is a longtime entrepreneur, the founder and one-time CEO of Nest Labs, and the co-creator of the iPod and the iPhone.

It’s important to remember that if you are the leader, you are the one who is responsible, especially when things go wrong. In chapter 4.6 of Build, appropriately entitled Crisis, Tony lists some helpful tips for getting to the other side. The above quote is number 5, and here is the complete list with a brief description for each:

1. Keep focused on the problem. Blame comes later.

2. Instruct the team on the what and how, and then let them do it. Do not micromanage.

3. You are not alone. Ask for advice from people you trust who may have experienced something similar.

4. Constantly communicate with all stakeholders.

5. Accept responsibility and apologize.

Making excuses or even denying that a problem exists does nothing but make the situation worse and will quickly lose the confidence of everyone around you. Crisis management has become a profession, yet anyone can benefit from having Fadell’s experience-based list. The best way to learn is through experience, so the next time you are in a crisis at work or home, grab this list. You can bookmark this page, or better yet, get the book and highlight the chapter. If you do as Tony suggests, you have a fighting chance of surviving the crisis and learning something from it.

I have two decades of operations management experience, and I can’t think of a time when saying “I’m sorry” to someone for a mistake my team or myself had made caused the situation to get worse. Apologizing humbles you, and that’s a great way to start the process of fixing the mistake and finding your way through the crisis.

Weekly Quote: Tony Fadell, Author of “Build,” on Screwing Up

This week’s quote comes from the book Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell, founder and one-time CEO of Nest Labs and the co-creator of the iPod and the iPhone.

Mistakes are the language of growth, and the idea of productive struggle is one of untapped potential. It’s a powerful experience to learn something, especially after getting it wrong.

I’m a few days late with this because of illness in the family, and I’m unable to write many thoughts, although I do not doubt that I’ll be sharing more from this book in the future. Tony is an accomplished and driven guy from whom we can all learn a great deal.