How did you react the last time you made a mistake at work?
Did you hold your hands up and do your best to put the problem right – or did you berate yourself for being a failure but decide there was nothing you could do to rescue the situation?
According to an article that crossed my desk this week, a mistake doesn’t necessarily have to be a disaster. In fact, if handled appropriately, it can turn into a productive experience.
Writing in Inc magazine, US entrepreneur Howard A Tullmann suggests that managers need to learn to tell the difference between failing and making mistakes. Failure, he says, is about giving up – while success often comes from learning from our mistakes.
It’s almost inevitable that managers will get things wrong sometimes. The people who will go on to thrive, however, are those who make sure they get the best out of their bad decisions and don’t repeat them. Here are Tullman’s five tips for how to walk the path between productive mistakes and unproductive failures:
1. Make cheap mistakes
The heading might sound flippant but the message is a serious one. If you are working in uncharted territory or starting a potentially risky new project, it pays to proceed with caution. Start with small steps and be ready to scale up quickly if things go well – or to abandon ship if they don’t work out as planned. That way, you won’t have cost the business (or your reputation) too dearly if things don’t pan out.
2. Don’t be afraid to change your mind
People often continue down a path they know is the wrong one because they can’t see a way out or they are frightened of losing face. If you can see you are heading in the wrong direction with an issue or project, stop! Be aware of what is happening around you and be ready to move fast and flexibly. Sticking with a mistake is worse than making it in the first place, because the situation certainly isn’t going to get any better.
3. Don’t dwell on the past
It’s OK to admit you’ve made a mistake – but once you’ve held your hands up, you don’t need to dwell on it. The key to learning from your mistakes is to “make ‘em, admit ‘em, correct ‘em, forget ‘em” . If you are worrying about the past, you’re not focusing on the future. So deal with it and move on.
4. Separate mistakes from problems
It’s important to understand the difference between mistakes (errors that happen once) and systemic problems (errors that happen over and over again). Mistakes will always happen, but they shouldn’t happen repeatedly. If it becomes clear you are dealing with a persistent problem, look at why it’s happening and try and eliminate the causes.
5. Be Honest
There’s no point trying to hide or cover up a mistake – the truth will always come out in the end. And of course you certainly shouldn’t try and shift the blame onto others. The best strategy is to admit you’ve messed up, say you’re sorry and let people know you’re taking the situation seriously. If you can show them you are attempting to address the problem and move on, they will respect you much more than if you try to hide what’s happened.
Sarah Ambler is a marketing executive at human capital management applications provider, Cezanne Software.
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