Failing to learn vs. learning from failures

June 20, 2011

If you want to change the organization’s culture—from blaming to learning—start by celebrating when a team member declares an error or failure. Make sure to celebrate the awareness and not the failure itself. Errors aren’t desired, but they do present learning opportunities. Celebrate learning from failures. The revelation of an error can lead to fewer of the same errors in the future, as well as fewer errors that are made in an attempt to hide or address the first error. The sooner errors are revealed, the sooner they can be remedied.

If you blame team members for their failures rather than celebrate their honesty, you will return to a secretive, blaming culture.

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