We live in a society that hides and covers up mistakes. It’s true, most people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying them. Recently in my day job I hired a guy because he seemed highly motivated. After three weeks I determined it wasn’t going to work out. He had a few problems following basic instructions and was fairly consistent at making major mistakes almost every day. I understand mistakes happen but he just wouldn’t own up to it, that was a problem. As I was letting him go he got kind of offensive and accused me of never admitting my mistakes. I quickly corrected him on the spot when I said I make mistakes all the time, I hired you didn’t I?
Lighten up, you’ve never made a 125 million dollar mistake!
In this politically charged environment members in our government always blame someone else when something goes wrong. For example, the major mistake made by Nasa engineers and the engineers at Lockheed Martin in 1999 that to this day, 21 years later, they are still arguing about who made the mistake. The story goes that the engineers at Lockheed Martin used English measurements while the NASA team used metric measurements while designing the most expensive space craft ever built. This mistake led to a $125 million craft malfunctioning and just like the famous show from the 70’s “Lost in Space” the craft is still lost in space never to have been heard from again. This government approved, tax payer funded project was then considered a total loss and for the most part no one had to explain the mistake because the total cost was under 200 million which was an approved margin of error in the government contract.
Only in Government can you get promoted for making a mistake.
Following this colossal mistake the NASA officials in charge were then promoted, yes really, and then asked for and received another 500 million to try again, which was necessary because the toilets alone were 23 million, I am not making this up! I tried using this defense when I was 20 minutes late picking my wife up from her hair appointment. I thought it easily fit the parameters for a reasonable margin of error. I found out 2 things that day. Sometimes my wife really doesn’t appreciate my sense of humor and if she went to any bar where a bunch of semi drunk sailors where that day, she would have fit in like she was one of them.
Own your mistake.
I own a small business and I’m old school in my thinking. I think if you lose credibility by admitting a mistake you never had any credibility in the first place. I like to admit to my mistakes, I totally own them when it happens. If you’re concerned because you just made the same mistake twice and you don’t want to admit it just keep doing it say 3 or 4 more times, you know, just to be sure and then you can honestly say “I never make the same mistake twice”.