Everyone Makes Mistakes

Mistakes happen every day in organizational life.  The question is what to do with mistakes and those who make them.  Classic business theory suggests corrective disciplinary action, retraining or dismissal, and a formal write-up in the personnel file are tools to avoid further issues. This harsh approach sends a profound message to the perpetrating employee and a clear signal to cohorts.  

One of our philosophies is “it is ok to make a mistake, just make it original.”  We are human; stuff happens.  We all know the saying, “to err is human; to forgive is divine.”  However, many do not know the third element: “to persist is devilish.”  

Make mistakes original: Classical economic theory holds that land, labor, and capital are any organization’s three primary assets.  As such, protecting your organization’s labor and treating people with respect is a way to increase the value of an existing asset with little actual extra investment. Having the communication channel open in a safe way can help to offset many common mistakes.

What about non-original mistakes? Start by inviting the employee into the process of building a solution to reduce the risk of error while also building safeguards to allow time for correction.  By providing a safe space for employees to learn from their errors, you are helping to develop all-star players.  

Allowing employees space to make mistakes (contained inhouse) without fear of retribution has been shown within the research to have benefits for an organization such as innovation, morale, and process improvements.   

See the rest of our philosophies about how we run our business!

 To learn more about empowering your employees, check out this deeper dive!