Don’t you dare waste a mistake

Some of you will think I’m crazy, but focusing your effort on creating an environment in which mistakes never happen is impractical.It’s like trying to go for a swim without getting wet.Here’s a better alternative: create an environment in which no mistakes are wasted.Mistakes are inevitable. Growth is optional.The worst kind of mistake is one that gets repeated because no one learned from it.Focusing on excellence is wonderful. Challenging your people to make their greatest contribution is marvelous.But aiming for perfection is a fool’s errand and creates an atmosphere in which people are more likely to hide their (valuable) mistakes out of fear.Instead of learning from their mistakes, they learn to hide mistakes and those mistakes are wasted.Convincing your people that it’s safe (and desirable) to bring missteps forward will take time and consistent curiosity, but it will fundamentally change the number and kinds of mistakes that happen next.(Yes, you heard me right. The goal should be to grow so that your people are always making new and more interesting mistakes.)OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION: Tell your staff you want to create a culture where every outcome – successes and failures – are mined for learning opportunities and define 3-5 questions you will use to unearth these insights.My free PDF, “100 Questions for Better 1-1 Meetings,” will help you upgrade the 1-1 conversations with your people so you can easily unearth their hidden potential and uncover valuable insights about your organization. Grab it today!