No one is perfect, but employees at many companies live in fear of making a mistake. They’ve seen what happens to co-workers when they slip up, and they don’t want to face the same fallout.
The thing is, mistakes can be a good thing. This might sound crazy, but as long as no one gets hurt, it’s in your best interest to encourage employees to take a trial and error approach to complete their work. Here’s what you have to gain by normalizing missteps.
4 Reasons to Make Mistakes Part of Your Culture
Help Employees Learn and Grow
The best way to learn is by actually doing something. Even when actions end in error, employees are able to gain a valuable lesson from the experience. They can analyze each step to see what went well and what didn’t, allowing them to refine their strategy for next time. Firsthand knowledge can’t be taught, so mistakes serve as valuable tools that help good employees grow into seasoned professionals.
Inspire Innovation
Going against the mold is an essential part of becoming an industry leader, but if your employees are afraid to make mistakes, they won’t step outside their comfort zone. When people know it’s okay to fail, they’re willing to try new things and take risks they wouldn’t otherwise attempt. Many of these actions will flop, but some of these inventive ideas will change your company for the better.
Create a More Comfortable Work Environment
Walking on eggshells in fear of making a mistake is no way to work. When employees know they won’t get in trouble for an honest gaffe, they’re much more relaxed. This makes your company a happier, healthier place to work because people know they don’t have to pretend to be perfect to keep their jobs.
Increase Empathy
At many companies, associates who commit a misstep are made to feel ashamed. A cutthroat culture encourages their colleagues to berate them or otherwise make them feel small. This doesn’t happen when mistakes are encouraged, because everyone’s doing it. Along with not making people feel bad when they slip up, the rest of the team rallies to support the person because they know how it feels to try hard at something and fall short of your goal.
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