Make your mistakes faster
So being the new guy, I thought I’d say hello, and carrying on from Judy’s post, I thought I’d write about something that is perhaps one of the biggest worries for someone when they start in a new role… making a mistake!
Ok, so the first thing to say is that “mistake” is just a word. Seriously, just a word, it’s something that we have made up, like every other word, and what is a word… it’s just a sound or representation that describes something, which symbolizes and communicates meaning (that’s from the dictionary!).
Since joining Criterion Partnership I’ve spent my time climbing the learning curve that comes with a new role, and without wishing to sound too cheesy, the climb has been a pleasure. The people here have to be amongst the nicest people I’ve ever worked with, and every time I’ve asked someone for help they’ve been incredibly generous and patient with their time and energy. The fear of making a mistake has been non-existent through the leadership and support I have received, and that is something which I think is very important, not because I’m not going to make mistakes (hopefully!), but because I know I will be supported and helped if I do, and most importantly I will learn form it.
I’m sure you’ve heard it all before, learn from your mistakes, take the positives from the negatives, etc. But surely there’s more to it than that?
For me the important thing about making a mistake is the lessons learnt from it. It’s about asking yourself “What just happened” or “What can I learn” and when that becomes your focus I think you gain an insight into your mistakes and the reasons behind them, that “Aaahhh, I get it!” moment!
But of course that’s not the end of it, and how does making mistakes help you succeed?
Well, if you look at any successful business person, say Sir Richard Branson (easy target, but serves the point) you could say, he’s failed as much as he’s succeeded, especially early on in his career. But would he change the mistakes he’s made? I suspect not, and more over I suspect he would say that he was glad they happened quickly, and that he learned from them all.
So how can this be put into practice in a business situation?
Firstly, it’s fairly obvious to say that as humans and individuals we hate looking bad in front of others, but the key to making a mistake a success is to make a mistake fast! By that I mean, if something is going wrong it is much better to stop it, fix it, or end it, the key is to recognise a mistake, intervene and move on.
Problem is, and especially in a corporate or business situation, when we screw something up or make a mistake, our first instinct is often to hide it, or to sit on it, or even to try and fix it (when potentially we don’t even know what has gone wrong in the first place) which could compound the problem.
But how did this mentality arise? Possibly because in a business or corporate situation when things go wrong, people will see it as negative, they will attach blame, they will be made to feel like they are in trouble, they may even start looking for (or be made) scapegoats.
So by encouraging a situation where people are comfortable to admit mistakes or talk about or address problems they have, it can only be good for everyone. The sooner the mistake is found, the cheaper it is! So the quicker you can develop a mind set or culture where finding a mistake the quickest is a win, the better.
For managers and organisations – Encourage a culture where spotting mistakes is a win, and I’m talking business failures (system, operational, etc) not pointing the finger at people. If you want some advice on this (unsubtle plug warning) Criterion Partnership has great experience in leadership development training!
For individuals – Embrace mistakes and learn from them, the lessons learnt almost always outweigh the price paid in the long run.
I hope that proved interesting and maybe raised some questions/inputs/feedback from you; perhaps you’d like to share how you’ve learnt from a mistake or even if it’s just because you want to know about the mistakes I’ve made in the past! I don’t mind spilling the beans!
If you find this post offensive please contact us
Comments
No Comments
You must be logged in to leave comments. You can register here».
