Do You Feel Safe?

By: Jan Bolick
August 17, 2009

In celebration of Mistake Management Month, our featured quote is:

Mistakes are the portals of discovery; motivational quotes

Say it out loud, with feeling, and the words flow beautifully. They have an easy – even elegant sound.

But it’s not so easy to hang out at that portal very long, much less go through it. After all, by definition, a portal has an “imposing appearance”.

And then if it leads to a tunnel or a mine or another dark, scary place full of unknowns…or a bridge and we don’t know what’s on the other side…

Well – it’s just a heck of a lot easier and feels a lot safer to ignore it, close it, block it off or even hide it and then – move on.

Sure – many of us say we want to learn from mistakes and that we want those around us to do the same. But few of us really do more than surface learning. And many of them (those around us) quickly learn that the best thing to do with mistakes is cover them up.

Just think of all the places we could go if we felt safe to go through that tunnel.

Just think of the knowledge or resources we might discover in that mine if we felt safe enough to dig in.

Just think of the boost to performance, productivity and morale.

Do you feel safe enough to do it?

Do they?

copyright 2009 – Jan Bolick, Business Class Inc

Mistakes are the portals of discovery;motivational quotes

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Filed Under Be a Better Manager, Serious About Service 

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Comments

4 Responses to “Do You Feel Safe?”

  1. Caution! | Business Class Inc on September 3rd, 2009 9:33 am

    [...] of those benefits is that we can put the mistake to rest and feel safe as we move forward – not so that we can work carelessly – but so that we can work [...]

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    [...] order to break the cycle, people must feel safe to talk about [...]

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    [...] Make it safe for everyone to learn from mistakes.  In fact, we suggest celebrating [...]

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