It happens all the time in business.
A choice was made and it turned out to be the wrong one.
Very wrong.
It could have been choosing the wrong equipment, location, employee, or giving the reins of power to an undeserving but favoured relative.
Following the decision, everything went bad. The error could even threaten the very existence of the business itself.
So, the decision makers corrected the mistakes, right?
No, they didn't.
Instead, they defended the mistake as being the right choice all along. They refuse to admit that they are indeed capable of actually making a mistake.
Instead of rectifying the situation, they choose to pretend to themselves, others involved in the business as staff, suppliers, and customers, and to the outside world, that they made the proper choice.
The mistake gets defended.
The worst part of the defending the error problem is everyone knows that a mistake was made. Well, everyone but the decision maker, who refuses to acknowledge the problem at all.
Since the decision maker is often the business owner, there is little the other people affected by the bad choice can do, to help with the problem. They can try to offer suggestions, advice, and cost effective alternatives, but those ideas are often flatly rejected in many cases.
Too much ego is at stake.
The small business owner chooses to defend the mistake, rather than admit it even happened. The decision maker might not even consider the possibility, that the choice was even an error, in the first place.
The results are often a nightmare for everyone involved.
In a large company, a serious error can often be absorbed. It might affect profits and shareholder value, but usually the company survives.
But not always.
In a small business, a major mistake often means the doors close on the business for good.
Small business owners and managers must accept that a mistake was made and correct it as soon as possible. Defending the problem only causes it to get worse. Like an untreated wound, it only becomes infected and is often fatal.
The key is to admit your fallability. You do make mistakes. We all do. Even the most successful business people have made major blunders.
Correct them and move on to the next business problem.
Defending the mistake might sooth the ego for awhile, but the long term consequences of the action are seldom pleasant.
So, fire that problem employee with grace and some nice post employment help, get that incompetent relative off your payroll, buy some different equipment, and get on with business.
Your business associates, staff, and everyone else will be happier as a result.
And your business will have a healthier bottom line.
Don't defend the mistake.
Correct it before it's too late, before your small business goes down the tubes.
Your ego will survive, and so will your business.
