Elisabeth Burda Furtwängler and Dr Jacob Burda assume entrepreneurial and publishing responsibility for Hubert Burda Media. At the same time, Olaf Koch succeeds Dr Paul-Bernhard Kallen on the Board of Directors.
Let me take you on a journey through one of my most significant mistakes, made during my time as a commercial director at a major grocery business.
It was November 2020, the year Covid turned the world on its head. It was also the second day of my first holiday of the year, a year that had been spent working for an online retailer during the pandemic. A year that had been extremely busy. My phone rang. On the other end was my boss asking, "Did you order what feels like a mountain of biscuits as gifts for our customers? Our warehouses are absolutely overflowing." I was gobsmacked.
It was Christmas season, and amidst the festive rush, I had inadvertently ordered an excessive amount of biscuits. The order had actually been placed months prior, in the midst of the Covid chaos, after a conversation with one of my employees who took my encouragement for her idea more seriously than I’d anticipated.
Little did I know a mistake about biscuits would become a turning point in my approach to leadership and personal growth.
The error stemmed from a casual chat with a marketing colleague, which taken rather literally, resulted in an order of an astonishing amount of Christmas shortbread. She’d had an idea for treating our customers, who were all emerging from an incredibly challenging year in the pandemic. Her suggestion was to give away free shortbread as a holiday gift. We had not really discussed details around quantity or timing, but I thought it was a good idea and encouraged her to pursue it.
The significant financial buy passed through multiple departments including buying, finance and operations, creating a substantial disruption at a busy time. Reflecting on the incident, I realised the huge impact my words and influence could have.
What struck me most however was the calm and measured approach my boss and the leadership team took when addressing the issue. Instead of reacting with frustration, they remained composed and focused on understanding how the mistake had happened and importantly how to fix it. Together, we worked diligently to address the immediate problem and implemented new thresholds for large orders to prevent similar issues in future. This experience taught me the value of staying calm and open-minded when handling mistakes.
Collaboration was crucial in resolving the error. The leadership team came together, analysed the root cause and devised solutions. Our collective effort was instrumental in addressing the problem and enhancing our company’s processes. Despite the challenging time, my boss encouraged me to continue my holiday, role modelling a supportive work culture that enabled me to trust my team and allow them to handle the situation. It highlighted the importance of fostering an open culture where mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth and learning.
I also learned the invaluable lesson of balancing speed and caution. While it’s essential to move quickly—and I am someone who relishes making swift progress—it’s equally important to have safeguards in place that prevent major mistakes (like overloading your warehouses with shortbread). Striking the right balance between progress and caution ensures effective operations.
More than this, the incident highlighted the importance of thoughtful communication within teams. I realised that even informal conversations could be taken literally, and have significant impact. This new awareness underlined the importance of clear and precise communication in avoiding misunderstandings.
My "best mistake" had a transformative impact on how I lead. I now strive to create an environment where my team feels comfortable making mistakes and learning from them—just as I have.
Embracing a mindset that values learning from our missteps not only transforms us as individuals but also paves the way for innovation and success in our organisations. Let’s embrace our mistakes and embark on a journey of growth and leadership together.
by Christina Hawley, ImmediateMedia
