Photo credit: © Beatrice Killam | Dreamstime.com
Every once in a while, there’s a dandy—a whopper of a mistake that throws you for a loop. And then there are the little, repeated, and rarely addressed ongoing mistakes that show up all too often.
As a leader, employee mistakes can hurt your reputation for quality and make your footing unsure.
So how do you deal with employee mistakes?
First, acknowledge that mistakes are human and universal, that EVERYBODY screws up from time to time, and that you do not expect perfection. (Good thing, since you’re not gonna get it.)
Second, make sure your people know that when they blow it, they need to be the first to find the error and to bring it to the attention of all those who might be impacted.
Third, make it known that covering up a mistake is unethical and a strong indication of other unethical behavior. Every person on your team should know that covering up mistakes will be dealt with more severely than mistakes themselves. (Paging Richard Nixon…paging Bill Clinton…)
Fourth, make sure your team members hold each other to a high standard. They shouldn’t wait for a manager to deal with someone who has a history of making mistakes. Empower them to anticipate problems by telling an error-prone colleague, “When you make those mistakes, we’re all left cleaning up a mess. Try creating a checklist or put some other quality-control measures in place so things go more smoothly.”
Fifth and finally, teach your people to be graceful in handling their errors. Saying, “I didn’t know” doesn’t cut it. Neither do “but” statements or lame apologies. The only thing that cuts it is ownership: “I blew it and that’s not acceptable. I will make provisions so it won’t happen again.” THAT is the attitude of someone you can count on. Settle for less, and you can count on finding a trail of other errors in their work because they don’t take quality seriously.
When people handle their mistakes with a high level of integrity and accountability, their whole team knows they can be relied upon. And you know there won’t be a pattern of mistakes to deflate your customers’ perception of you!