Plan On Failing When your employees screw up-and they will-how should you deal with it?
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What happens when someone in your organization makes a mistake?Do people trip all over themselves trying to cast blame or do theyfix the problem and move on? In The Accountability Revolution: AchieveBreakthrough Results in Half the Time! (IMPAQ Publishing),author Mark Samuel recommends "recoveryplanning"-concentrating on correcting problems rather thanpunishing culprits.
Samuel says you should create an environment of safety, notcomfort. Comfortable workers are unlikely to be creative, takerisks or try new things, because that would make themuncomfortable. By contrast, employees who feel safe can embracechange without fear of punishment if they make mistakes.
Many people operate with the belief that beingperfection-oriented optimizes performance, but that's a myth,Samuel explains. The reality: Being recovery-oriented optimizesperformance. Emphasizing perfection creates paralysis and delaysaction; and when a problem occurs, the organization isn'tequipped to handle it.
Outside the business world, recovery systems are standardprocedure, says Samuel. Sports teams practice recovery plays forthose inevitable times when players drop the ball. Theatercompanies have recovery systems in place in case someone forgets aline or the set malfunctions. Medical teams know what they'lldo if something goes wrong during a procedure.
Recovery systems lead to greater accountability, Samuel insists,because people feel safer taking action, and action keepsorganizations growing and flourishing.
Jacquelyn Lynn left the corporate world more than 14 yearsago and has been writing about business and management from herhome office in Winter Park, Florida, ever since.
Contact Source
- Mark Samuel, (800) 332-2251, www.impaqcorp.com
