3qtr2004 - Feature Article: Making More-Better Mistakes

Funny when you find things you didn't know you were looking for, isn't it? Well such was the case when I was at my dentist's office the other day. I was browsing through a magazine and came upon this interesting little blurb: "Computers crash by making mistakes. The brain learns by making mistakes." It's true, isn't it? Unlike computers, we DO learn by making mistakes.

I used to think that the way to learn was by doing things right. But over time I came to realize that all we really learn from that is that IF circumstances are exactly the same (which they rarely are) and IF we have exactly the same resources to put in play (which we rarely do) and IF we do things exactly the same way (which we rarely can), well maybe - and just maybe, mind you - we may be able to create the same results. Oh sure, you can do the easy stuff that way, but doing the easy stuff isn't really about learning as much as it's about confirming what you already learned.

Contrast all this to making mistakes. When you make a mistake, you know without a doubt that that way doesn't work! Make enough mistakes (assuming their different mistakes) and pretty soon you know enough about what NOT to do that you can't help but get things right! Back in my executive days I used to be responsible for interviewing and selecting new managers for hire. I'd tell them this: "I believe that in order to become a truly capable manager, you need to have made at least 1,000 mistakes. I'm looking for someone who's made a good 750 of them already, so tell me about some of your biggest screw-ups and what you learned from them." Let me tell you, I heard some wild stuff, but the Lessons Learned were what I was really after. And I heard some wonderful stories about people's personal and professional growth and development.

So how might we make better mistakes so to learn more, more quickly?

• Engage your Learner's Mind - Whenever you begin a project, take on a new responsibility, or just do something new, start by setting the intention of wanting to learn. Just by being open to the possibility of learning creates opportunities to learn. So get curious. Ask questions. Question assumptions. Think it through to the next level. Knowing that 3+2=5 is great, but what does 5 mean?
• Understand both the Absolute and Relative Value of Things - Say you've written an RFP for some equipment your need and you get a bid back from a single vendor. This gives you a price - and absolute value - but is it a reasonable price? You really don't know unless you get a few other vendors to bid on it as well because it's the relative value that tells the tale. So too with learning. We must calibrate our learning across both these dimensions to truly maximize its value.
• Don't Take Risks in a Vacuum - Trying new things, or familiar things in new ways, is a great way to make better mistakes. But oftentimes people affected by your mistakes aren't as pleased about it as you are! Part of their displeasure comes from the Surprise Factor - not knowing ahead of time what was likely to happen. So be sure to disclose the probability (possibility?) that a mistake is likely to BEFORE it actually does happen. Giving your boss, as example, a simple "heads up" is often the difference between a great conversation about strategy and its implications as compared to something far less enjoyable.
• Know What you Want to Know - Establish some learning goals for yourself and create opportunities to try on different approaches to learn them. Maybe you want to develop better relations with a customer. Identify a few different ways you could do that and try them out.
• Be Ready to Mop Up - Sometimes mistakes can get messy. And that can create all sorts of other problems for you to deal with. So as you begin to engage on a Learning Effort, consider what's likely to go wrong and, if it does, how you want to handle the clean-up phase that follows. Having a fall-back position will allow you to solve the problem you created, which is important. But being ready to mop up is more about knowing how you want to handle the impact your mistake had on others. A little forethought about this will go a long way toward remedying others' perceptions of what just happened.

3qtr2004 - Ask the Coach: Better Triage, Problem Solving, and Recovery

Question: Problems just seem to happen to me and when they do, I get totally derailed. The next thing I know it's several days later and while I may have solved that particular problem, I'm really behind in everything else. Any suggestions?

Answer: There are actually a few issues all bundled up inside this thing. First, there's the problem at hand, what to do about it, and how to get it done. Second, there's how long it takes to work through all of that and get back to the matters at hand. And third, there's all that other stuff that's still there waiting for you.

Typically when trouble strikes, we go into 'red alert' mode - it's a crisis, I've got to deal with it, and everything else has to take a back seat. Experience has shown, though, that there are different types of crises - BIG crises, medium crises, and itty-bitty crises. Sure, they all qualify for 'red alert' mode, but they do come is all sizes, shapes and varieties. And since all crises are not alike, an important first step is to assess just how big a particular situation really is. No need to use a bulldozer when a little trowel is all that's needed, right? So let's call step one "triage."

The second step is where you actually work to solve the problem, so we can call it "problem solving." There are two key questions to ask and the first one is obvious: "What needs to be done to make things right again?" But there's another one that deserves equal, if not more, attention and that is: "What needs to be put in place to insure (or decrease the probability) that this same problem will not occur again in the future?" If you've ever had a deja vu, this is why - you solved the problem before, but didn't put in place any mechanisms to prevent it from happening again. So it did! That being said, it's important you think through - and talk about with others - what to do before the next time to help prevent the next time.

Step Three is "recovery." Working on problems can be difficult and exhausting work, so it's only natural that we need time to cool-out or decompress before getting back into the swing of things. And this is where most people waste a LOT of time because even though the crisis is over, the emotional shock of it - and it is emotionally shocking - lingers on...and on...and on! But does it have to? Sure there's some recuperation needed, but often times that recuperation gets delayed because, quite frankly, we're not quite finished feeling sorry for ourselves. Well take a deep breath, put a smile on your face and realize that one of the single-most important indicators of our well-being - and success - is directly related to how well we recover. Think about a pit crew at a Nascar event. You want to talk pressure? You want to talk stress? They have to get in there, do whatever it is they need to do, and get the heck out of there A.S.A.P. So in a lot of ways, your ability to recover is a lot like what a pit crew does. See the connection? Get in there, do whatever it is you need to do to recover, and get the heck out of there A.S.A.P. so you can get back to all that other stuff that' waiting for you.

The more efficient you are at the recovery stage, the easier it will be to integrate whatever problems arise into your daily work. So take a few moments and think about what helps you recover. Think about what you want your pit crew to be ready to do. See the recovery from the crisis as important, if not more so, than working through the actual crisis itself - and challenge yourself to recover more and more quickly with each new situation that's given to you.

3qtr2004 - Great Things I Didn't Say!

• "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." - Joseph Addison
• Friendship with oneself is all important because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world." - Eleanor Roosevelt
• "Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - John Watson
• "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards." - Vernon Saunders Law
• "A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." - Bernard Meltzer
• "A long dispute means both parties are wrong." - Voltaire