The role of mistakes

[presonorek]

What is the role of mistakes in the workplace?

1. Normal occurrences
2. An opportunity to fire incompetent employees
3. An opportunity to change/tweak procedure
4. Something that needs to be fixed
5. Something funny to provide entertainment and improve morale
6. A mistake obligates the manager to provide formal counsel every time a mistake is made

I know there are some differing philosophies about this topic. I have worked at companies that all had differing responses to mistakes that are made.

Are mistakes a complete travesty or an inevitability that requires no action?

 

[presonorek]

I personally believe that the more work you do then the more mistakes you will make.

Too many mistakes could be a representation of a burdensome workload. Too few mistakes could mean the employee isn't doing anything. However I don't see a need to make any changes unless the mistakes are so abundant that the goals of the company can't be obtained.

My philosophy favors fixing the mistakes and then moving on to the next task. Nobody wants to make mistakes. It is naive to believing that someone will be more careful just because you told them to be more careful. They are going to be equally careful for the remainder of their life. Nobody wakes up with the intention of screwing stuff up. That is an asinine way to view the situation. Sometimes a 4 is mistaken for a 9. That won't stop just because you vow to be more careful. People will continue to mistaken a 4 for a 9 on occasion until the end of time. It can't be stopped.

 

[Asclepias]

What is the role of mistakes in the workplace?

1. Normal occurrences
2. An opportunity to fire incompetent employees
3. An opportunity to change/tweak procedure
4. Something that needs to be fixed
5. Something funny to provide entertainment and improve morale
6. A mistake obligates the manager to provide formal counsel every time a mistake is made

I know there are some differing philosophies about this topic. I have worked at companies that all had differing responses to mistakes that are made.

Are mistakes a complete travesty or an inevitability that requires no action?

I've always looked at mistakes as a statement on the effectiveness of leadership, procedures, and a team motivator.

People make mistakes because they dont know something which points to substandard training/guidance. Some people dont ask for help because the work climate created by the manager doesnt foster it.

If the procedure is the issue then yes its an opportunity to change or improve the procedure. This should be done constantly anyway in order to be proactive. Again this points back to leadership.

A mistake can be used as a team building moment by pointing it out and asking for input on how it should have been done. More likely than not the people that do the task daily would have the best and most timely method of how to do it. After that you get a group agreement to be better and hold each other accountable.

 

[gipper]

Mistakes happen because humans tend to make them. It is human nature to make mistakes. Now if you are c level and make mistakes, no big deal. You likely will be rewarded. If you are low level, you get fired.

 

[Unkotare]

Mistakes are an essential element of improvement.

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

Mistakes happen because humans tend to make them. It is human nature to make mistakes. Now if you are c level and make mistakes, no big deal. You likely will be rewarded. If you are low level, you get fired.

The company that fires the most mistake prone people will dominate an industry.

 

[Jomama]

One mistake is a mistake. Two mistakes is a reflection of your work product and you're fired.

If you are not continually firing and upgrading your bottom 10%, the other 90% won't respect you as a leader and the top 20% will leave you for a winning team.

 

[Jomama]

Sometimes a 4 is mistaken for a 9. That won't stop just because you vow to be more careful. People will continue to mistaken a 4 for a 9 on occasion until the end of time. It can't be stopped.

Are you high? Do you think West Point accepts that mistake? Do you think Bill Belichick would accept that? Steve Jobs? Jeff Bezos? Navy Seals? Any superior organization intent on winning or saving lives?

Do you want your 911 operator getting that wrong? Your surgeon? Your anesthesiologist?

I hope you live to the ripe old age of 40 or 90. What's the difference?

 

[presonorek]

Sometimes a 4 is mistaken for a 9. That won't stop just because you vow to be more careful. People will continue to mistaken a 4 for a 9 on occasion until the end of time. It can't be stopped.

Are you high? Do you think West Point accepts that mistake? Do you think Bill Belichick would accept that? Steve Jobs? Jeff Bezos? Navy Seals? Any superior organization intent on winning or saving lives?

Do you want your 911 operator getting that wrong? Your surgeon? Your anesthesiologist?

I hope you live to the ripe old age of 40 or 90. What's the difference?

Nope. I am not high. I'm just trying to decide if I should kill myself or not.

 

[presonorek]

Mistakes happen because humans tend to make them. It is human nature to make mistakes. Now if you are c level and make mistakes, no big deal. You likely will be rewarded. If you are low level, you get fired.

What is C level? I am not familiar with that term.

 

[presonorek]

Sometimes a 4 is mistaken for a 9. That won't stop just because you vow to be more careful. People will continue to mistaken a 4 for a 9 on occasion until the end of time. It can't be stopped.

Are you high? Do you think West Point accepts that mistake? Do you think Bill Belichick would accept that? Steve Jobs? Jeff Bezos? Navy Seals? Any superior organization intent on winning or saving lives?

Do you want your 911 operator getting that wrong? Your surgeon? Your anesthesiologist?

I hope you live to the ripe old age of 40 or 90. What's the difference?

Sometimes a mistake is wearing white after labor day. Sometimes a mistake is invading Russia in the winter.

 

[presonorek]

Do you want your 911 operator getting that wrong? Your surgeon? Your anesthesiologist?

Nah! I don't want any mistakes to ever be made by anybody. That's just a preference of mine. Some people may feel differently about it.

I don't want to ever make a mistake in my whole entire life. I don't want you to ever make mistake either.

 

[gipper]

Mistakes happen because humans tend to make them. It is human nature to make mistakes. Now if you are c level and make mistakes, no big deal. You likely will be rewarded. If you are low level, you get fired.

What is C level? I am not familiar with that term.

C-lev·el
adjective

1. denoting the executive level of a corporation.
   "a c-level corporate officer"

CEO, CFO, CTO, CIO, etc....if you spend some time with these guys, you will experience a level of arrogance and egotism you never thought existed.

I worked at a large corporation were the new CEO implements a huge plan to transform the business. It cost the corporation about $1 billion and failed miserably. He was removed, but found a equally great job as CEO of another company.

 

[Jomama]

C level people have the shortest tenures (are fired the fastest) in corporate America.

 

[presonorek]

What is the role of mistakes in the workplace?

1. Normal occurrences
2. An opportunity to fire incompetent employees
3. An opportunity to change/tweak procedure
4. Something that needs to be fixed
5. Something funny to provide entertainment and improve morale
6. A mistake obligates the manager to provide formal counsel every time a mistake is made

I know there are some differing philosophies about this topic. I have worked at companies that all had differing responses to mistakes that are made.

Are mistakes a complete travesty or an inevitability that requires no action?

I've always looked at mistakes as a statement on the effectiveness of leadership, procedures, and a team motivator.

People make mistakes because they dont know something which points to substandard training/guidance. Some people dont ask for help because the work climate created by the manager doesnt foster it.

If the procedure is the issue then yes its an opportunity to change or improve the procedure. This should be done constantly anyway in order to be proactive. Again this points back to leadership.

A mistake can be used as a team building moment by pointing it out and asking for input on how it should have been done. More likely than not the people that do the task daily would have the best and most timely method of how to do it. After that you get a group agreement to be better and hold each other accountable.

Is this still the case when someone types a 4 instead of a 9?

 

[presonorek]

Mistakes happen because humans tend to make them. It is human nature to make mistakes............ If you are low level, you get fired.

Won't the company just have to hire a replacement that will make mistakes? I do not see how this is efficient.

 

[presonorek]

Mistakes happen because humans tend to make them. It is human nature to make mistakes. Now if you are c level and make mistakes, no big deal. You likely will be rewarded. If you are low level, you get fired.

The company that fires the most mistake prone people will dominate an industry.

Where will they find replacements that will never make mistakes? West Point? Harvard? Any suggestions on where to find perfect employees?

 

[presonorek]

One mistake is a mistake. Two mistakes is a reflection of your work product and you're fired.

If you are not continually firing and upgrading your bottom 10%, the other 90% won't respect you as a leader and the top 20% will leave you for a winning team.

I think there is a quote by Voltaire about killing an admiral every once in a while to motivate the others . Is the purpose of the firing to find better employees or is there another motive behind it?

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

Mistakes happen because humans tend to make them. It is human nature to make mistakes. Now if you are c level and make mistakes, no big deal. You likely will be rewarded. If you are low level, you get fired.

The company that fires the most mistake prone people will dominate an industry.

Where will they find replacements that will never make mistakes? West Point? Harvard? Any suggestions on where to find perfect employees?

too stupid we are talking about people who make more mistakes than others not people who make no mistakes.
Do you have the IQ to follow??

 

[presonorek]

Mistakes happen because humans tend to make them. It is human nature to make mistakes. Now if you are c level and make mistakes, no big deal. You likely will be rewarded. If you are low level, you get fired.

The company that fires the most mistake prone people will dominate an industry.

Where will they find replacements that will never make mistakes? West Point? Harvard? Any suggestions on where to find perfect employees?

too stupid we are talking about people who make more mistakes than others not people who make no mistakes.
Do you have the IQ to follow??

Apparently not. I have been trying to understand this concept for 5 years.

How many mistakes should a person make? 3? 5?