No one
is immune to making mistakes – we are human, after all! But if we simply
apologize and carry on as before, we're in danger of repeating the same errors.
When we
don't learn from our mistakes, we inflict unnecessary stress on ourselves and
on others, and we risk losing people's confidence and trust in us. In this
article, we look at how to ensure that we take those lessons on board, and then
use what we learn.
How to Stop
Repeating Mistakes
Here are
five steps to help you to learn from your mistakes, and to put what you
discover into practice.
Note:
"Making a mistake" is not the same thing
as "failing." A failure is the result of a
wrong action, whereas a mistake usually is the wrong
action. So, when you make a mistake, you can learn from it and fix it, whereas you can only learn from a
failure.
1. Own Your
Mistakes
You can't learn anything from a mistake until you admit that you've made
it. So, take a deep breath and admit to yours, and then take ownership of it.
Inform those who need to know, apologize , and
tell them that you're working on a solution.
Saying "sorry" takes courage, but it's far better to come
clean than to hide your error or, worse, to blame others
for it. In the long run, people will remember your courage and integrity long
after they've forgotten the original mistake.
If,
however, they hear of it from another source, your reputation will suffer and
you may not get another opportunity to learn.
2. Reframe the
Error
How you
view your mistakes determines the way that you react to them, and what you do
next.
Chances are, you'll view your error in a purely negative light for as
long as any initial shock and discomfort about it persists. But, if you
can reframe your mistake as an opportunity to
learn, you will motivate yourself to
become more knowledgeable and resilient.
When
you've acknowledged your mistake, think about what you could do to prevent it
from happening again. For example, if you didn't follow a process properly,
consider introducing a more robust checklist or a clearer process document.
Stop
beating yourself up, pause for a moment to reflect, and start thinking about
how you can gain from the situation.
Tip:
Your
mindset plays a significant role in how you view your mistakes and,
importantly, in how you react to them.
If you
have a "growth" mindset, you likely see mistakes as an opportunity to
improve, and not as something that you are doomed to repeat because your
mindset is "fixed" on the belief that you can't improve.
You can find out how to develop a growth mindset
with our article, Dweck's Fixed and Growth Mindsets .
Note:
A
learning opportunity is not the same as an excuse for careless behavior!
Rather,
admitting to your mistakes and showing that you have learned from them can help
others to understand that making mistakes is OK. That is, as long as you act
intelligently, in good faith, and keep your risk-taking within agreed
boundaries.
Model this approach to encourage your people to
take responsible risks, and to be more creative.
3. Analyze
Your Mistake
Next,
you need to analyze your mistake honestly and objectively. Ask yourself the
following questions:
·
What was I
trying to do?
·
What went
wrong?
·
When did it go
wrong?
·
Why did it go
wrong?
For complex or more critical issues, a more in-depth tool, such as Causal Factor Charting , may be more appropriate.
Conducting
this "postmortem" should reveal what led to the mistake, and
highlight what needs to change in order to avoid a repeat.
4. Put Lessons
Learned Into Practice
The
danger at this stage is that work pressures force you back to your routine
tasks and habitual behaviors. The lessons that you identified in Step 3 could
languish, unfulfilled, as mere good intentions. In other words, learning
lessons is one thing, but putting them into practice is quite another!
Chances are, acting on what you've learned will require the discipline
and motivation to change your habits , or to
change the way that your team works. Doing so will help you to avoid self-sabotage in the future, and will allow
you to reap the rewards and benefits of implementing better work practices .
Here,
you need to identify the skills, knowledge, resources, or tools that will keep
you from repeating the error.
Do so
with care, though, because "quick fixes" will likely lead to further
mistakes. Any actions that you take to implement your learning need to be
enduring, and something that you can commit to.
If your mistake was a minor or a personal one, personal goals and action plans will lay the groundwork for
implementing the lessons you've learned. They can give you a timescale to work
to, and a list of the tasks that you'll need to complete.
The
specific tools that you use from there on will depend on the particular lessons
that you need to put into practice.
For example, if you learned that a mistake occurred because of your
forgetfulness, aides-mémoire or
greater attention to detail could help. If you found
that your organizational skills were
below par, digital planners and spreadsheets would be useful.
Or, if you discovered that an error occurred because of a cross-cultural
misunderstanding, your communication skills might
need a polish.
If the mistake was more organizational than personal, you may need to
implement your learning in a more far-reaching way. Writing clearer procedures , for example, could
help to ensure that more gets done without mistakes.
Understanding Zenger and Folkman's 10 Fatal
Leadership Flaws could help to tackle errors from the
top. In fact, not learning from mistakes is one of the 10 flaws, and providing
clear and specific feedback is
one way to counter this flaw.
And, if you learned that your new product wasn't distinctive enough to
be successful, you may need to revisit your whole strategy .
Tip 1:
Learning from mistakes, and putting that learning into practice,
involves change. If that change will impact other people, the ADKAR Change Management Model could help you
to get them "on board" – and to keep them there.
Tip 2:
Don't be
afraid to ask colleagues or your manager for help if you're unsure which tactic
or tool will be the most effective in preventing further mistakes.
Involving other people is a great way to make them
feel invested – and it can be particularly important when mistakes are made at
a team or organizational level. So, foster an environment where people feel
comfortable about expressing their ideas.
5: Review Your
Progress
You may have to try out several ways to put your learning into practice
before you find one that successfully prevents you from repeating past errors.
The Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle is a great tool for
pinpointing the most effective solutions.
From there, monitor the efficacy of your chosen tactic by reviewing the
number and nature of mistakes that do – or don't! – still get made. Asking
someone to hold you accountable can
help you to stay committed to your new course of action.
Key Points
To err
is human, and we don't have to punish ourselves for the mistakes that we make.
They can be great opportunities to learn, and to develop on a personal, as well
as an organizational, level. We just need to learn from them, and to put that
learning into practice.
When you, or one of your team members, make a mistake:
·
Own up to it.
Don't play the "blame game." This is detrimental in the long run, and
you'll lose the potential for learning.
·
Reframe your
mistake as an opportunity to learn and develop.
·
Review what
went wrong, to understand and learn from your mistake.
·
Identify the
skills, knowledge, resources, or tools that will keep you from repeating the
error.
·
Review your
progress.
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