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Let Mistakes Happen
By Marsha Lindquist
How many of you are reading the title and wondering if I’ve lost my mind? I haven’t. If you want to cultivate creativity then, you truly have to get rid of the box you are using for your thinking. Yes, not only is letting mistakes happen the right formula for cultivating creativity but I’ll go a step farther. Actively seek to let those mistakes happen. In fact, I’m telling you to encourage the people on your team or in your organization to make mistakes – and frequently. What?
Most of us grew up with a fear of making mistakes. After all, didn’t most of our teachers and parents let us know that mistakes weren’t a good thing? They placed a high value on getting everything “right”. Our peers worked toward the same end too. Now as adults, fear of making mistakes is an emotional deal. It’s simply not logical to encourage people to make mistakes. But without mistakes you don’t have the big innovations either. Read on.
We learn from mistakes. Edison tried over 1,000 materials for the filament of his electric light bulb, but they all failed. "You should just give up!" advised a friend. Edison responded, "On the contrary, I've discovered over 1,000 things that don't work. That's progress!" Big discoveries don’t happen without trial and error. Along the way, other discoveries also take place. Mistakes are two things - steps to eliminate the dead ends and also to find the unexpected wonders.
“In fast-growing companies, where people are doing things for the first time, mistakes often get made," says Bill Rosenzweig, CEO of the Republic of Tea. The important thing is what you do with those mistakes. You can learn from them and change the way you approach certain circumstances. You can also reward those mistakes. Yes, reward those who come up with ideas. Even if you don’t use the ideas for the original intended purpose, you’ve got great canon fodder for future projects. If what you are trying to achieve is more diverse thinking and innovation then mistakes are what you want.
How many of you think you aren’t creative? Baloney, you are. You aren’t born with a creativity bone; you have to cultivate a resourceful mindset. Others around you have to encourage it. Even better if you get rewarded for it. Most of the time, people don’t exercise their creativity bones because they think they have to get it perfect. Forget that. Get those idea juices flowing and worry about perfection later, if you really have to do that.
"If you're not making mistakes, you're not taking risks, and that means you're not going anywhere," argues John W. Holt Jr., coauthor of "Celebrate Your Mistakes". "The key is to make errors faster than the competition, so you have more chances to learn and win."
We learn at an early age not to makes mistakes. As children, we are filled with originality that’s just waiting to be exercised and encouraged. As we grow up that originality gets watered down or eliminated. What a shame. Start bringing back that creativity and promote mistakes. The good stuff is not far behind. The real value to your organization isn’t in the mistakes anyway, it’s in the stuff that goes on the cutting room floor and the great feeling your people have in contributing and taking risks.
About the Author
Marsha Lindquist, CEO of The Management Link, Inc., has over 30 years experience as a business expert in Government contracting She has enhanced her clients’ cost competitiveness, improved their contractual positioning, and solidified overall strategies with companies including BP Amoco, DynCorp, and Northrop Grumman. Marsha adds value by telling you what you need to hear. For more information on her, please visit: www.TheManagementLink.com or email her: Marsha@TheManagementLink.com
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