<p>Mistakes are a normal part of the work process, not the exception.</p> <p>When I was a teenager working in my dad's car dealership, I made a big mistake. I wanted to wash one of the new cars we had just received via transport before dad had a chance to ask me. I was backing the car around the edge of the tire rack that was adjacent to the wash room. It seemed like a tight fit, but I knew I could make it. When I started washing the car, my heart dropped to my stomach. Along the&nbsp;passenger side from the rear panel all the way to the front fender was a crease about a quarter of an inch deep!</p> <p>I apologetically told dad that I had ruined one of his brand-new Chevrolets. Dad did not say a word, nor did he look angry. He was neutral. Later that day he came by and told me he would get the car fixed and not to worry or be concerned. I thought he might remind me of that incident later down the road, but surprisingly, he never mentioned it again.</p> <p>What a fabulous lesson he taught me about how to handle accidents and mistakes. I have fond memories of&nbsp;his great way of working with me and other people. Below are some principals I learned from him and that incident.&nbsp;</p> <ol> <li>Mistakes, whether big or small, are not what matters. People and feelings are the most important. People first.</li> <li>Do not show emotion when someone is confessing their faux pas and blunders. Listen and learn what happened and why, then take some time to formulate your response. </li> <li>After some time and thought, assure the person that everything will be OK. The fewer words, the better. </li> <li>Do not hold an incident over a person's head. Do not remind employees about making the same mistake again. Put the remembrance of the incident in the cellar of your brain and leave it there. </li> </ol> <p>People learn more from you by what you do not do as opposed to what you do. Your calm demeanor speaks grace.</p> <p>How do the lessons I learned from my father's attitude about mistakes fit into today's work environment? In essence, he believed in a no-blame work environment. The words "no-blame work environment" were introduced to me by author Sid Kemp, an expert on project management and workplace productivity.</p> <p>The majority of Sid's work points to that one single principal of "no-blame". He shows ways to get the work culture to a "no-blame" state. In its purest form, a "no-blame work environment" focuses more on correcting mistakes, as opposed to finding out what happened and why in order to assign blame. Some people take the option of assigning blame.</p> <p>The assigning balme method works great for the person that is doing the blaming and awful for the person that is receiving the blame. The person that received the blame will shut down their creativity and focus on not making mistakes instead of thinking about how to do their best at making&nbsp;better choices. The blamer's actions are remembered for several years. I suspect that much of America's workforce focuses on not making mistakes as opposed to finding better practices, especailly in the 09 economy.</p> <p>Terry McIver is the leader of a manufacturing company that employs 400 people. Terry is very good at bringing out the best in people by focusing on what needs to be done next. He has a saying that is very helpful: "Run to the Roar!". Terry teaches that as mistakes happen, you must run to them, embrace them, and solve them as quickly as you can. Do you have some roar that you need to run to and address?&nbsp;</p> <p>To lessen the occurrence of mistakes, follow these two principals:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <ol> <li><strong>Avoid information flow disruptions.</strong> Devise systems that do the following: Quickly pass on change in plans, new directions and results accomplished. Many mistakes are made because of untimely information. Get good at closing the communcation loop.</li> <li><strong>When receiving verbal instructions,</strong> write them down in detail, including expectations and promises, you agreed to do. Many people try to mentally remember all of their commitments and promises. Every night your mind flushes out much that has happened during the day including promises made. If you cannot write down your assignments call your voicemail and leave a message. When you listen to it, you can&nbsp;transfer it to your&nbsp;"To Do" list in your orgainzer. &nbsp;</li> </ol> <p>There will always be mistakes in the workplace. We can lessen their frequency, but there will always be mistakes. What can&nbsp;be done&nbsp;is adopt the "no-blame" attitude and focus our creative attention on solving issues, instead of wondering why something happened with the intent to assign blame.</p> <p>The small adjustment in thinking style of "no-blame" will take several months to integrate into your business culture. It is worth the effort because a "no-blame" workplace grows empowered, effective, loyal, dedicated, creative, employees that will remain employed with your organization for a long time providing their best efforts. They will do what it takes to help the organization thrive and prosper because that is what is expected of them.</p> <p>Jim Rooney</p> 2009-05-05T20:02:36Z -8.32395 137 4479 true 17 30793 handling-mistakes 0 2009-05-06T16:32:19Z 2009-05-06T04:34:28Z

Learning how to respond to mistakes in a non-judgemental way improves your influence with those you supervise. Create a no-balme work envirnment to capture more of the available human capital. Spend it on making your business better.

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