All real growth comes from mistakes.  My son did not go from crawling to running a few months later without falling down.  When he learned to walk, he fell after one step and got back up.  He fell after 2 steps and got back up again.  This pattern continued until he was running full speed through hallways of our home.

Every kid learns to walk in close to the same way.  They fail, fail, and fail again until success finally comes.  They are not afraid of mistakes.  But something changes in us as we age.  Our willingness to fail in order to get what we desire wanes.  Fear of making a mistake takes over and we stop growing.

I often say that a tree that stops growing, starts dying.  It is the same with an individual or an organization.  Yet I see people trying to mistake proof their lives or their companies and they wonder why they feel like stuck where they are.

Growth Prevention

Individuals:

Making mistakes is the only way to learn.  Trust me, I have learned a lot through this method!  But, I know people who spend their lives paralyzed by the idea of making a mistake.

A person who allows the fear of mistakes to control them:

  • See’s change as a threat and holds too tightly to the status quo.
  • Identifies 5 reasons something is a bad idea before finding 1 reason it is a good one.
  • Avoids activities that push them outside their comfort zone.
  • Discourages others from stepping out in areas of perceived risk.
  • Instills the fear of failure in their children by the example they set.

The results can be:

  • A life full of “I should of’s”.
  • A stagnant career.
  • A person who is the same at 50 as they were at 25.

Organizations:

Leadership through risk avoidance is a lousy strategy.  But, many leaders believe it is their responsibility to prevent mistakes.  This, in fact is not leadership, it is management.

A manager mistake proofs his team by:

  • Dictating the tactics of each member of his team.
  • Requiring his approval for all decisions.
  • Chastising mistakes made as opposed to teaching the lessons to be learned from the mistakes.
  • Setting up rules that eliminate the need for individuals to make decisions that require judgment.

The results can be:

  • A team that fears mistakes more than valuing growth and productivity.
  • Team members afraid to solve problems without the input of their leader.
  • An organization that promotes people to levels where they are making big decisions daily, who have never been allowed to make small decisions.

Without giving the individuals in the organization the space to make mistakes, an organization is doomed to stagnation.  Any manager who encourages stagnation through his mistake proofing system, will not last in the for profit world.

The Bottom Line:

If you want proof that mistake proof people and organizations are also growth proof, look at our local, state and federal government.  The rules that prevent front line people from making common sense decisions were set up to prevent mistakes from happening.

The only growth happening in government is budgetary.  Efficiency and productivity are never adjectives used to describe mistake proof government offices.

Who want’s to live a life without growth?  Who wants to work in a job where their growth is discouraged?  What organization will reach it’s potential if the fear of a mistake overcomes the desire for growth?

If an individual or an organization wants to grow and become a better version of who they currently are, they must embrace mistakes.  Being willing to fail is synonymous with being willing to grow. (March 2012 book of the Month:  Failing Forward, by John Maxwell)

Question:

What habits or rules can you eliminate to encourage mistakes and growth for you, your team or your children?

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