“Mistake”. It’s been a dirty word in business for many, many years.
The last thing you ever wanted to have to say is: “I made a mistake”.
I think it’s high time that we rethink that attitude. Mistakes are a natural part of learning or trying something new. A baby learning to walk will fall over. A child learning to ride a bike: ditto. An adult learning a new language? For sure. So why is it that we don’t allow for mistakes in business? If we don’t make room for mistakes, how do we expect to discover new things or innovate? Or as Albert Einstein said: “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.”
Here are the 4 types of mistakes. The next time you, or someone in your team, makes a mistake, don’t be too hard on yourself/them. First check the intention behind their mistake.
And if that intention was to bring something new or innovative to the table, see the mistake for what it really is: a sign of curiosity and courage.
