If a team never makes mistakes they are a.) lying and/or b.) not pushing themselves to grow. Mistakes happen in any setting, and in the corporate world mistakes are generally avoided at all costs for fear of punishment, whether in the form of a write-up or even being fired.
While this is standard operating practice for many companies, I would suggest it’s the wrong way to lead a team and it doesn’t set your company up for sustained success. Am I suggesting people have free reign to carelessly perform their work tasks? By no means. Rather, forming a supportive environment where taking calculated risks are encouraged can help a company move forward rather than staying stagnant but making fewer errors.
Company culture is unique and can make or break the long term success of any enterprise. As a business coach, I have worked with clients representing businesses of all sizes and industries and over the years I have seen some fantastic cultures and some toxic ones as well.
A common trait of the positive work cultures I have been around and a part of is the encouragement of innovation and feedback from company leaders. If you want to build a positive culture, you as the leader must make every employee feel heard and supported. This also means searching for learning moments when issues do arise.
Some of the best policy changes, product innovations and other company ideas were the result of people on the ground who saw an issue and had an idea to make it better. If you want to build a positive culture, ideas from your people shouldn’t be stifled, but they should have a place to try new things and possibly improve the company based on their ideas.
Many owners get too confident in their own judgment, even if they haven’t been working in the business for many years. The best ones understand their people are valuable and allow them to try their ideas, even if they make a mistake. Pushing yourself to improve and having the freedom to succeed is rewarding, and if your people have this support then they’re more likely to work hard for your company.
Below you will find an excerpt from a recent coaching session where I addressed mistakes and how they can help a company grow. If your organization can use a culture consultation and I can help, give me a call or fill out the form on my website to get started today.
TRANSCRIPT
Making mistakes with your people is okay, as long as it’s a calculated and measured mistake, because people are going to make mistakes. But, having a safe culture and a safe environment to make mistakes, to stretch yourself to push yourself, is very very healthy.
At the end of the day, people in those situations can actually achieve more than they ever thought possible. When you can tap into that as a leader, you’ve really tapped into how to motivate and inspire them to be their best, and when you can do that they will do anything they need to do for you: work late, work harder, work smarter, take on new responsibilities, handle the tough customer or tough problem.
