5 Ways to Learn from Mistakes
The dumbest mistake is making the same mistake.
Why don’t you put your hand in fire? Because you learned.
We’re toast unless we learn from mistakes.
Learning from mistakes makes existence possible.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” This quote originated in an Al-Anon meeting, not Einstein.
Success hinges on learning from mistakes.
John Wooden said, “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything.”
Sadly, some of us learn slowly. A few don’t learn at all.
5 ways to learn from mistakes:
#1. Own it.
Criminals that experience guilt repeat their crimes less frequently than criminals that experience shame. (NIH)
Shame tends to blame. Blame rejects responsibility.
The person who owns their mistakes grows, but blamers repeat mistakes.
Say, “I screwed up.”
Blame produces ignorance.
Tip: Notice what people say about their mistakes.
#2. Make it right.
You learn and grow when you fix what you did wrong.
Tip: Give people a chance to fix their own mistakes.
#3. Know who you are.
You made a mistake, but you aren’t a mistake. When personal identity is tied to mistakes, we tend to hide and blame.
#4. Debrief.
I love the question, “What’s working?” However, we learn more from failure than we learn from success. Ask the four questions of an after-action review:
- What were our intended results?
- What were our actual results?
- What caused our results?
- What will we sustain or improve?
#5. Teach.
Teach others what you learned from screwing up. Here’s a conversation starter for your next team meeting. “What have you learned from mistakes?”
Bonus:
Reflect on frustration. Recurring frustration is cultivated by repeating the same mistakes. Dig into frustration.
The best mistakes are learning experiences.
Winners learn from mistakes. Losers create destructive patterns.
What prevents us from learning from mistakes?
How might leaders learn from their mistakes?
Psychology: Why Some Don’t Learn from Their Mistakes (newsweek.com)
3 Ways Owning Your Mistakes Will Make You Powerful (entrepreneur.com)
What prevents us from learning from mistakes?
–Big ego
–Low self esteem (which may be underneath the big ego)
–Acting like a victim
–Strong emotions
How might leaders learn from their mistakes?
–Own it (be open)
–Dissect your assumptions, beliefs, and actions
–Discuss with a trusted colleague or mentor
–Observe what others do
–Be willing to try new things
Thank you for adding useful insights. An examination of assumptions and beliefs seems most useful to me.
Good morning Dan,
My biggest takeaway was Einstein was not the originator of the quote ““The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” I did not know this! Thank you for the education.
I also like the debrief section as I think this is key in review, especially in my line of career with social work. We are constantly facing new challenges and every person/ family situation is unique. We are always exploring different ways to help people and undoubtedly there will be mistakes made. The debrief opportunities help the individual staff person and our program learn and develop more effective and quality ways to help our clients the next time!
I always appreciate your wisdom and ideas!
Thank you Tony. I’m glad you enjoyed the note on the insanity quote. I frequently visit Quote Investigator to confirm the origin of quotes.
I also learned that a debrief is most effective when its goal is to change the way we act in the future.
Take the time that needed to learn from mistakes. Make reflection and learning a priority.
“A mistake repeated is a decision” – Paulo Coelho (Brazilian novelist). If someone is making the same mistake over again, they aren’t learning. You have to figure out why to know the proper approach. Do they not understand why that mistake is a problem? Or do they not care? There is a world of difference between the two.
Dan,
I see a fine lin between mistakes and intentions. If one doesn’t care about what they are doing they tend to get sloppy per say. So Take pride in what you do, how you do it, and why you do it? If a mistake happens surely seek assistance if you don’t know the proper methods. I always have taken “my mistakes as” lessons in life, if i made the same mistake twice shame on me. Judges don’t like repeat Offenders and neither do Bosses.