Making mistakes is part of operating a business. All companies, and all owners, managers, and other staff members make errors. There are different types of mistakes, and some are more damaging than others. There are even good mistakes. In any case, it's important that every business owner, manager, or staffer admit their errors and use the result as a learning tool.
It's natural for a person to want to distance themselves from problems caused by actions gone terribly wrong. Everyone has experienced that desire to have the ground swallow them up at one time or another. Many people hide from their mistakes, while others deny them entirely. Some people will even claim the error was the proper course of action and defend it like a stone wall.
Not all companies have the same tolerance levels for mistakes. Some organizations are so error averse that the entire company is paralyzed for fear of doing the wrong thing. Heads are kept down, and little innovation ever takes place. Other businesses welcome and embrace failure as a stepping stone to future success. Most companies fall somewhere in the middle, and lean one way or the other.
On a personal level, it's always the best idea to admit your mistake. Even in an organization that frowns on errors and innovative ideas. The personal energy consumed by denial, stonewalling, bluffing, and even lying is not worth it. Admission of an error is liberating to the mind, and lets you move on to finding a solution. Time and money are saved in both the short and longer term. If admission is not good enough for those in charge, then an employee should seek different surroundings.
Business owners often make mistakes in the course of operating their business. As with employees and managers, it is essential to admit that an error was made and that the entrepreneur is not infallible. Failure to admit an error, and to even defend it as the proper course of action despite all evidence to the contrary, may even doom the company itself. Instead of seeking solutions, many business owners have the need to be right all of the time. That stonewalling effect can very often bankrupt the business.
If you are a business owner or manager, develop and nurture a company culture that is not afraid to stumble and make a few miscues. Admit your own mistakes, and use the result as a springboard to an even better solution. The sooner that an entrepreneur stops wasting enrgy and time on denial and stonewalling, the faster an alternative idea can be put into place. At the same time, empower your employees to take risks without fear of reprisal in the event things go wrong. It's better to make mistakes than to take no action at all.
Develop a company that understands errors will happen. Start by admitting that you are not perfect in your decision making. Welcome ideas from staff members at all levels. By empowering people to make decisions, and to contribute new ideas, your business can move to the next level. There will be mistakes made along the way, but that is how every company grows to new heights.
Admit your mistakes. Welcome errors from everyone in the organization. They are the gifts that make a business successful.
