Quote of the Week: On Mistakes & Discovery

In celebration of Mistake Management Month, our Quote of the Week is:   Mistakes are the portals of discovery.  James Joyce

By definition, a portal has an “imposing appearance”,  which means for most of us, it’s not so easy to hang out at that portal very long, much less go through it.   Because who knows what we’ll find?  Is there a tunnel or a mine or a bridge or a deep, dark cave?   It could be okay but we  just don’t know what’s on the other side.

So it’s just a heck of a lot easier and feels a lot safer to ignore it, close it, block it off or even hide it and then – move on.

Many of us say we want to learn from mistakes and that we want those around us to do the same. But few of us really do more than surface learning. And many of them (those around us) quickly learn that the best thing to do with mistakes is cover them up.

Just think of all the places we could go if we felt safe to go through that tunnel.

Just think of the knowledge or resources we might discover in that mine if we felt safe enough to dig in.

Just think of the boost to performance, productivity and morale.

Do you feel safe enough to do it?

Do they?

Tell us what your organization does to make it safe to talk about and learn from mistakes.  Do you have awards?  Or celebrations?   Please tell us about it at:  Yes!  We celebrate mistakes! 

Related Articles: 

To post as wallpaper for your computer screen:

  1. Click on the image.
  2. Click again to enlarge it.
  3. Right click and then select “Set as desktop background”.

For a printable (PDF) version, click here.

The above quote is from the Be a Better Manager: Handling Projects, Problems & Mistakes section of our Quote Library.   For  152 additional motivational and instructional quotes, visit our Quote Library.

copyright 2010 – Business Class Inc

Related Posts

Is it safe to make mistakes where you work?

Many people SAY they want to learn from mistakes.   But few people do more than surface learning.  And many quickly learn that the best thing to do with mistakes is…

Read more

Here’s a great one. Spoken like a genius.

A nice reminder for leaders everywhere Are there any fish on your team who are expected to climb trees? What to do about it? Read: 10 Ways to Manage Fish…

Read more

Feel Like You’re Herding Cats?

Ever find yourself wishing your team would do something different?  Act different?  Be different? I sure have.  And this quote has helped me through many of those times.  It popped…

Read more

The Main Thing

Thanksgiving is done, and we are only days away from Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and a new year. it can be a wacky time. Running in a million directions. Too many…

Read more

Results of Holiday Gift Survey

Thanks to all who have responded to our Holiday Gift Survey over the years.  We took your responses, did some additional brainstorming and voila!  You’ll see the results below – separated into three…

Read more
capture

10 Things to Capture Before Year End

Ever feel like you deal with the same mistakes and problems over and over again? Ever feel like you wrestle with the same decisions over and over again? Maybe even…

Read more

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *