Mistake Cake
Mistake Management Month officially ends today. It seems only fitting that we celebrate its success. And what’s a celebration without cake?
And of course it must be Mistake Cake.
And of course – an explanation is in order. Read more
Mistake of the Week Award at Keebler Cookies & Crackers
We found another great article about Mistake of the Month and Mistake of the Week Awards – this one written by Bob Bapes, known as The IdeaDoc.
Here are a few excerpts. Note the sub-messages about morale & productivity.
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…I remembered a celebration of failure that we used when I was at Keebler Cookies and Crackers. We were an aggressive group of marketers without a lot of money. As a result, we were always trying something different, weird, cutting edge or outlandish in developing, promoting and advertising cookies and crackers….
Some of the ideas worked and many did not. Read more
Mistake of the Month Award at Brogan & Partners
We found a great article last week about Brogan & Partners’ Mistake of the Month Award.
And surprise! (or maybe not) – in the story is evidence of every element of mistake management needed to go from ignoring or hiding mistakes to celebrating them – boosting morale & productivity in the process. Read more
Reward Mistakes? Are You Sirius?
A couple of weeks ago, I raised the question about giving rewards for making mistakes. Some people thought I had gone mad. Too much exposure perhaps, to the dog days of summer.
And – remember the invitation I issued at the beginning of the month? The invitation to share your mistakes with us?
Didn’t get much response from that at all.
Honestly – I’m not surprised. I mean – why would anyone do that? Especially when they have no clue who is going to be reading it. It could be very bad for business.
Even in a controlled environment. Even with secret handshakes to keep it “within these walls”. It could be very bad for business. And your career.
But if a team doesn’t talk about mistakes…how will they ever fix them?
Okay – one at a time they can fix them. Or at least patch over them. Slowly. Painfully. In a silo with fingers pointing out at all the other silos. Rarely getting to the root of the problem. With limited learning. Certainly not getting “full” benefit.
And just think – through it all – the customer gets to stew in waiting. Read more
Collecting Dirt
Lots of people like to collect dirt about their co-workers and bosses.
I hate when I hear that stuff. Most of it’s garbage anyway. And it’s a good indication that morale and productivity are in the dump.
What about collecting a different kind of dirt – the kind you get when you keep the real garbage out of the real dump?
Not many businesses do this because of the hassle. But this little guy (looks a bit like Darth Vader doesn’t it?) can easily tuck into a corner somewhere.
Nothing to build. It just sits on the dirt and the worms will come. Read more
Just In Time Management
Are you familiar with Just In Time Management?
Well – today is National Cherry Popsicle Day.
And it’s just in time because it’s a gazillion degress out there!
If you’re like my friend, Chip, you don’t like cherry popsicles and wonder if it’s okay to have another flavor. We consulted the organizers of National Cherry Popsicle Day and their official answer is: Any kind of fruit-sicle will do.
So go grab your favorite fruity flavor and enjoy every lick.
Even better, how about Read more
How To Get True Confessions
In many organizations – mistakes are hidden or covered up.
Those that do leak out…well….
You didn’t hear this from me but did you hear about what so and so did? Maybe he’ll finally get the boot this time.
Oh really? I heard it was his fault? Well – all I know is that I had NOTHING to do with it.
And thank goodness for that! I have enough problems of my own. Speaking of which – I’d better go clean ‘em up right now before someone else stumbles across them. You know who I mean!
Is that the way people discuss mistakes in your organization?
Is there any benefit to that approach besides giving Gabby Gossip and Nosy Nelly something to talk about?
More valuable benefits can be gained – Read more
How to Get “Full” Benefit
We got some good questions about the exploratory questions listed in How to Pay Attention to Mistake Management.
The last two on the list are:
- Am I/are we getting full “benefit” from these mistakes?
- Do I/we need to manage mistakes any differently so that we do get full “benefit”?
Are you wondering what “full benefit” means?
It means – if a mistake is going to be made “on your watch” or “on your budget” – Read more
What a Mess
Did I tell you about the time I made the mistake of doing exactly what our client asked me to do?
Sounds a little strange, but this is what happened and what it did to customer loyalty, productivity and morale. Read more
Mistake Management Tips from Mick Mixon
Do people feel safe talking with you about their mistakes – seeing it as an opportunity to learn and grow? Or do they hide them to avoid getting grilled, beaten up – or maybe even fired? The former is certainly better for morale and productivity – a much better approach for enhancing organizational performance.
In thinking about that, I remembered a something Mick Mixon shared during a Business Class interview – a very wise approach to mistake management, one that would help most everyone feel safe. Listen to the interview excerpt (about 1 1/2 minutes long) right here. Read more
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