I was recently making a presentation to an audience of over 100 people when someone in the audience raised their hand to ask if I’ve ever made a mistake related to the topic I was presenting? So you know what it’s like when you’re in front of a fairly large audience and asked to discuss your mistakes? Lets just say it wasn’t part of my PowerPoint presentation.
I found myself quickly collecting my thoughts around all the mistakes I made and how I might frame my answer! I was immediately at peace because I knew I had made many mistakes, but with each had learned valuable lessons! I learned a long time ago that mistakes are actually miss-takes. Or “takes” where we miss the mark and try hard not to repeat them.
Mistakes are inevitable and an incredible opportunity to learn. But you must pay close attention and admit the mistake and all things leading up to and contributing to the mistake. All too often we want to cover up our mistakes, deny they ever happened, place blame on others, or ignore them completely.
First we must consider how we recognize if a mistake has actually been made? Typically we know because the outcome is not exactly as expected, or someone has a negative opinion about the outcome. Other indicators that a mistake may have occurred include that rework is required or deadlines are missed.
If we acknowledge that a mistake may have occured, we must now achieve a better understanding of “why” the mistake may have been made. This is where the lesson is learned. So if an outcome is not as expected and you think you may have made a mistake carefully evaluate what actions may have contributed. Maybe you failed to attain all necessary knowledge, made too many promises, established inappropriate deadlines, involved the wrong people, invested more than was budgeted, failed to fully vet all vendors, or a caveat of several hundred other possibilities or combination of possibilities, based on all of the mistakes I have made over the years.
So the next time you almost say “sorry I did not make a mistake”, try this instead “I made a mistake”. Next, finish the sentence by answering this question: “but what I learned is that next time I will do this differently…”. Take time to assess what the mistake was, take some ownership, and determine some ideas about what you would do differently next time you are in a similar situation.
Most importantly, do not be afraid to admit you made a mistake. Embrace it and learn from it and vow to do everything you can to not repeat. Mistakes make us better!