Create a safe environment for employees to admit when they’ve made an error.
There’s a story of an engineer back in the beginning days of IBM who made a mistake that cost the company a million dollars. The engineer came into Thomas Watson’s office knowing Watson was going to fire him. Instead, Mr. Watson asked him, “Why would I fire you? I just spent one million dollars educating you.” He never made that blunder again.
A Plant Manager made a mistake that almost cost the company their biggest buyer. After jumping through a lot of hoops, the manager saved the account, but it was a close call. Now she begins her staff meetings with “Who messed up worse than I did this week, and what did you learn from it?” By being vulnerable with her own slip-up, she creates a safe environment for her staff to let her know the real story – instead of hiding the truth out of fear of reprisal.
Learn from your mistakes – and move on.
Action Ideas:
- Mistakes happen. If you need to, watch the movie “Frozen” several times and learn to “let it go!”
- See number one.
To get this and 97 other ideas on Manufacturing Engagement, please check out Lisa Ryan’s book, “Manufacturing Engagement: 98 Proven Strategies to Attract and Retain Your Industry’s Top Talent“
