An important part of positive internal culture is making learning part of your brand, as we discussed Monday. As a tool, we suggested that companies frame failure as a positive thing. Sound crazy? It shouldn’t. Most employees live in fear of mistakes, when really, they should be celebrated as learning opportunities. But when everyone is concerned with being criticized, viewed as subpar, or worse, getting fired, it’s hard to permeate your culture with the understanding that mistakes are okay–and maybe even encouraged.
Many understand the value of a workplace that embraces failure in theory, but putting it into practice is difficult, especially in the heat of the moment. Sometimes, it requires a complete shift in management style. Finger pointing and blame have no place. Instead, cultures that make the most of mistakes rely on open dialogue, encouragement and commitment to improvement. Today, we’re outlining a four-step practice that, with some dedication, will help your company become one that sees failure as opportunity and encourages employees to take smart risks:
Instead of rushing headfirst into the next thing when a project is completed, hold a debrief meeting. Use it to give everyone on the team a chance to voice their opinion on how things went and what areas need improvement. If you don’t recap and asses, you’re likely to make the same mistakes over and over again, so this process is invaluable to business impact and success.
Take note of the areas for improvement that come up in your recap. Document them, along with related successes. Don’t just voice and forget about them, but write them down and encourage your team with reminders that there will always be things that need work. Noting them is simply a step towards self and group-improvement.
This is the fun step. Together as a team, brainstorm solutions for the issues that came up. Think of better ways to work, more helpful tools to use and communication methods that increase productivity and efficiency. Take note of these ideas and choose 2-3 to put into action on the next project.
As your team looks forward to the next initiative and plans steps for improvement, develop an accountability system for check-ins before the next recap meeting. It could be as simple as a group email where everyone weighs in on their progress, or updates posted on an internal Facebook group or social network. This encourages employees to keep striving for excellence, and to learn from mistakes along the way.
Image via (cc) Sarah Stierch
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