Ugh.
Another mistake.
Sometimes I feel like I make them, everyday, all-day-long, all-the-time. Lord knows there’s probably a mistake in this post!!!
Do you ever feel like this?
Running my own business has made my mistake-making so much more obvious to me.
Because…
I can’t delegate work.
I can’t abdicate work.
I must do the work. All of it.
As a result my rate of mistake-making has multiplied!
Because I’ve felt so cruddy about all these mistakes, I’ve started to think and think some more about mistakes and how I would prefer to feel when I make one.
I also think there’s so much relevance here to how we lead and manage our teams.
Our tolerance for mistakes, those we make and those others make has so much to do with how other people experience us.
When we are crazy hard on ourselves for mistakes, it’s likely we also harbor the same thinking about others.
When we are kind with ourselves about our mistakes, we are also more likely to be kinder to others when they mess up.
So how does this play out for you?
When you or someone else makes a mistake, do you hold a significant amount of judgement?
Do you chastise (out loud or in your head) the mistake? Do you scrutinize the behavior that led up to the mistake? Do you characterize the person (or yourself) as the mistake?
Or do you allow for the mistake to be a part of the process? Do you recognize that everyone blows it… sometimes daily? Can you see the person beyond the mistake?
I know this is an area of work for me.
I want to be kinder to myself and more forgiving of others.
I know this a practice because it doesn’t come naturally for me. I have to catch myself before I start berating myself… or others in my mind.
I wonder what it would be like if we were all more forgiving, supportive and understanding as we continue to make mistakes.
My guess is, in order to find out, we have to start with ourselves first…
Will you join me?
P.S. Have you checked out the podcast? I’d love it if you would!! And if you like it, please share a quick review on iTunes! Here’s the link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-coach-inc/id964355401?mt=2
