We always recommend to clients to admit to errors and mistakes immediately. That way, you can spend valuable time working on rectifying the situation and rebuilding trust with your stakeholders, which is important in reputation management.
Yet, it’s still a common tactic for people to not only deny fault or avoid acknowledging the situation but also double down on claiming that they had made no errors or mistakes. The result is that they’ve made the situation worse and last longer than it should.
Two recent situations in sports illustrate this point.
- A state association that oversees high school athletics used the wrong data in determining which football teams made the playoffs. After receiving inquiries before the playoffs began, the association “doubled down that it used the correct data,” according to a media outlet. The association only admitted its error a month after the playoffs concluded, and the executive director wasn’t reported to have expressed any regret or sympathy, according to a media story.
- An NFL head coach whose poor coaching led to several late-game losses did not properly manage the clock at the end of a game in which his team was trailing by three points. In his post-game interview, the coach said the situation was handled correctly, and then he double downed on that assertion at a news conference held the next day. Shortly thereafter, he was fired.
You have to imagine how those who were negatively affected by your actions feel when you don’t own up to your mistake right away. They are likely to be angry and frustrated, and they may never trust you again, especially when your error is clear as day to everyone involved. That’s a major consequence that you’ll have to face when you double down on your mistakes.