How would you take a remark from your manager if he/she tells you- “Learn from y

1. 81

   coffeegginmyriceposted 12 years ago

   How would you take a remark from your manager if he/she tells you- “Learn from your mistakes.”?
   
   Why wait to make a mistake if it can be avoided?
   
   Many departments at work have lost proper communication skills with their departmental staff.  An important message could be relayed to a colleague to inform the rest, but the latter missed to do so. Until YOU made a MISTAKE; got called to the manager’s office to be advised and coached due to preconception.
   There was no memo, no direct communication from the manager or the assistant manager, and no apologies. You get in trouble for what? Who is to be blamed for the fault that was caused at work?
   
   
   

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2. 76

   Nettlemereposted 12 years ago

   It's always tough being told to learn from your mistakes when the mistake wasn't your fault in the first place. Unless you feel that you are being targeted as a scapegoat, I would be inclined to leave it be at that - the manager is more likely to think of you in a negative light if you try to argue your point. However you could try approaching them a day or so later saying something like "I noticed there was a delay in getting 'X' information passed round to staff and would like to suggest 'Y' as a solution." That way you might get recognition for being proactive and a problem solver.

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3. 85

   SidKempposted 11 years ago

   I believe that we can separate blame from healthy evaluation and feedback. According to TQM founder W. Edwards Deming, 94% of all mistakes are caused by management, and can be prevented by management, mostly by giving clear instructions to workers. Once that has been done, we have only 1 in 20 of the mistakes we used to have. At that point, yes, it makes sense to learn from (not be blamed for!) our mistakes.
   
   For more, read my hubs on six sigma and CMM quality management, on self-evaluation, and on Habit 1, Proactivity, of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

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