Lori Jo Vest and I promised that we would have a blog entry for you every Monday morning. This week, I forgot it was my turn, and nothing was posted. Horrors! Please accept my apologies and enjoy this blog entry aimed at helping your company be more effective when mistakes are made.
What do you do when you make a mistake? It’s interesting to notice the different ways people handle their mistakes. Some immediately admit responsibility, apologize and set out to get things back on track. Some keep apologizing to the point of annoying their customers. Others don’t apologize at all, they are quick to cast blame to deflect it from themselves. Still others blame themselves, burning themselves out by mentally chastising themselves.
What does your company do to encourage employees to handle mistakes productively? Is it safe for people to fess up? Are you modeling effective ways of turning a mistake into an opportunity to show customers and colleagues how committed you are to taking care of them?
When interviewing Nandita Mahadevan, the operations manager at Preston Wynne Spa in Saratoga, California, she shared that the reason she functions at the top of her game in customer service is because she was allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.
Jesse Ianello, another customer service hero who works at the Canfield Group, in Santa Barbara, California, views mistakes as a form of accelerated learning.
Jack Welch increased GE’s market value by more than $400 billion, but three years into his career, under his direct supervision, an explosion in a tank at a plastics factory tore a hole in the roof. It was a huge mistake. He thought he’d be fired. He took full responsibility and with candor expressed what had happened, why it happened, and how it could be fixed. The leaders at GE knew the importance of restoring confidence when a high-quality employee experiences their weakest moments. By focusing on lessons learned they sidestep the downward spiral of self-doubt that undermines the progress of super star performers.
Mistakes are like the little dents on the surface of a golf ball. Originally, golf balls were manufactured with a smooth surface. They were redesigned, when it was discovered that the older, bumped and dented balls, flew farther and truer. When employees get bumps along their way toward success, the lessons learned help redirect their actions, so they can go farther toward providing quality service.
What do you think? How can your company respond to mistakes more productively?
written by Marilyn Suttle on www.whosyourgladys.com
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