Handling Mistakes:  An Important Skill For Managers

Cool It!

The most important phase of handling mistakes is preparation for the process. Perhaps more time should be spent in preparation than for the actual process of mistake correction with the person in error.

Emotions, hot emotions, have a way of spilling over into human relationships where they seldom, if ever, serve our purposes well. Before a manager, foreperson, or supervisor can be of assistance to another - to manage that person - he or she must first manage him or herself. It is doubtful that one can help another effectively when that person is not in control of his or her emotions.

Before seeing the "the culprit who 'done' it" the top-quality supervisor asks himself about his own relation to the mistake. Was training and supervision of the person clear, adequate, and effective?

In the beginning, it is important to ask whether it was a mistake. To check this point: First, in one sentence state briefly and clearly the mistake. Second, list the consequences resulting from the mistake. Do these objectively - be cool.

Of course, a most unfortunate situation can be one in which the supervisory person is accusing or correcting the wrong person. Holding a wrong person responsible - due to poor homework and planning - emotions running ahead of thinking is a special kind of poor people-evaluation. The accused, even after apology, often remembers that the boss saw him or her as the person who could have made the error.

We think better - we hear better - we speak better - when our emotions are under control.

How Serious Is The Mistake?

There is no doubt about it: how serious a mistake is depends on the perception of the observer. A similar "mistake" is viewed differently by the perfectionist nit-picker than one who holds in view the bigger target, or the purpose behind the total task. Is the mistake a mountain or a molehill?

Our friend William J. Reilly, author of The Twelve Rules for Straight Thinking, wrote "the way we think" has a bearing on our entire lives. He cautions that we frequently make the mistake, "the great excuse" that of jumping from quick observation to a conclusion. "We can't stop our mind from jumping, but we can watch it jump" and control it.

How Frequent And Widespread?

The frequency of mistakes tells much about the person making the error and the supervisor. These questions might help the supervisor better to evaluate and assist the person in error:

1. Is this the first time? (Who doesn't err?)
2. Does the person make many errors? (If so, he or she is poorly placed, incapable, or poorly trained. A pattern of making errors demands the supervisor's attention to the person and to himself/herself.)
3. Do others make similar errors? Do particular others make the error? (What do the answers to these questions tell the supervisor?)
4. Does the person know he/she made a mistake?
5. Does he/she know how to correct it? (If not, what does this say to the supervisor?)
6. Was he/she trained or cautioned about the area of error?
7. Does he/she do other things well?

Attitude: Assist or Threaten?

What will be the main reason for talking with the employee? Before calling in the "culprit", give thought to your attitude. Will you assist him or threaten and punish him? Will the interaction center on the fault or the mistake? The error or the person? The performance or the personality? Will the purpose of the meeting be to evaluate and correct the mistake, or will it be to criticize him/her? Will your purpose in meeting the employee be to criticize, demean, or judge him/her? Will it be your intent that he/she learns discouragement and self-regarding attitudes of defeat and guilt which often are worse and more serious than any punishment from a superior? Would or should your intent be to attack and frighten him/her?

Or will it be your intent (planned beforehand) to meet with him to insure: better performance next time, no recurrence of the mistake, and sometimes even a demand of better work quality in the future? Will the meeting provide an opportunity for learning and further growth on the part of the person who erred? As a supervisor, will you provide a climate to discuss the error freely--without penalty, and even develop an atmosphere of further interpersonal trust? Will the employee, as a result of the meeting, feel free to seek your assistance in the future? Jerry Cordrey, Director of Training of American Farm Bureau Federation, says, "There's no doubt about it: mistakes are an opportunity to teach." Too often we spend too much time on "who done it" and too little on how we can prevent it from happening again. The way not to blame is to discover conditions which brought about the mistake and to come up with conditions to correct the situation in the future.

Beware of Fixation

When we are disturbed, it's easy to permit one incident - as a mistake by a subordinate - to absorb all our attention and cause it to overshadow other things. It's easy to fall into the trap of focusing our attention on one's mistakes and overlook the whole of the person, including the work he/she does well. Dealing only with the mistake - isolating it from good work performances - often gives the employee an evaluation not intended by the supervisor. If it is true that "My supervisor only calls me in when I do something wrong" something is wrong. The top drawer supervisor evaluates in terms of total job - successes and failures. He or she keeps an eye on the big target, the final goal, not intermediate trifles. This does not mean that he or she ignores quality in performance. He/she is aware that mistakes subordinates make are only a part of their total work performance. He/she rates the employee both in terms of what areas the employee exhibits strengths, and also where mistakes occur.

Plan To Hear the Employee's Side

Don't rush in to accuse before hearing "the accused." Getting his/her point of view may change completely your procedure in dealing with him/her, and with the mistake. The employee's reasons for error might make sense if you hear them. Even excuses and alibis give you information about the employee and conditions under which the error was made.

The top-quality supervisor will want to explore with the person in error such questions as:

1. Is the employee aware of the mistake?
2. Under what conditions was the mistake made?
3. Why did the employee make the mistake - as he/she sees it.
4. Does he/she see the consequences of the error - to the team, the department, and the company?

See the Employee Privately

Excuse our language - but it is dumb to criticize one in the presence of others. Yet it is done often.

There are many cases in which the manager fails to remember that the surroundings in which one criticizes another is important. Probably one of the most serious and costly errors a management person can make is to criticize one in the presence of others. Often the most disastrous result of giving criticism to one in the presence of others is losing the person--often a good person. This is costly indeed when we consider the cost of finding, orienting, training, testing and over a long period of time, finding the employee an asset to the company and then losing him/her.

Why see the person privately?

1. A message (same words) heard in a group doesn't convey the same meaning as the message heard privately.
2. Criticism of a person in the presence of others puts him/her on the defensive.
3. The person criticized will both listen and speak with the presence of others in mind, and as a result, he/she would not say what he would were he alone with the person critical of him/her.
4. Hearing criticism even when it is intended for another makes others who are present feel uncomfortable, sympathetic toward the one criticized, and unfavorable toward the one giving criticism so openly.

Private consultation:

1. Provides an atmosphere for leveling.
2. Encourages freer expression of varying points of view.
3. Allows more time for discussion.
4. Can be free of interruptions.
5. Allows feedback from participants.

Next Time

Time should be devoted to "next time." Discussion should give emphasis to: If the employee were to perform the task now, what should and would he/she do? Seeking suggestions on correcting the mistake makes sense. Exploring the employee's solution or correction comes closer to dealing with the way he/she will perform in the future.

Mistake Is Past Tense

Once the mistake is handled adequately - forgive and forget. Forget before the employee's funeral. What happened is past. To remind one constantly of past mistakes is poor psychology.

Follow Up

The relationship between supervisor and subordinate after resolving a problem is crucial. Complimenting the employee when he/she does good work promotes mutual understanding and approval. Being both available and approachable to the employee is most important.

Philosophy. . .

It's good mental health to believe:

1. All people make mistakes. Expect mistakes.
2. People don't intend to make mistakes.
3. People don't like to make mistakes.
4. People want to "make up" for mistakes made.
5. People want to learn from their mistakes.
6. People are hurt more by self-regarding feelings than criticism from others when they make mistakes.
7. People improve performance after working out correction of mistakes.