In today's working world, the ability to make mistakes and learn from them is becoming increasingly important. But not only employees should develop the ability to make mistakes, managers should also be able to recognize their own mistakes and reflect on them. However, a current study shows that there is a lot of catching up to do.
According to a survey by Kienbaum Consultants International of around 1,500 executives in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, 53 percent of those surveyed rarely or never talk about their own mistakes. This is a sobering result, because an open error culture is essential for successful leadership. Mistakes are part of everyday work and are an important source for learning and improvement processes.
Why is error competence so important for managers?
Managers have a crucial role in creating an error culture in the company. If you speak openly about your own mistakes and deal with them, you send an important signal to your employees: Mistakes are human and can even be an opportunity for improvement. This creates a climate in which employees see mistakes as a learning opportunity and dare to try out new ideas without fear of consequences.
An open error culture can also strengthen the trust between supervisors and employees. When employees feel that their manager is honest about their own mistakes, they will be more willing to admit their own mistakes and ask for help when they need it.
However, the New Work SE study shows that many executives are unable to talk about their own mistakes. 51 percent of the executives surveyed stated that they see themselves as flawless. This suggests that there is still a high level of expectation that managers must be perfect and not make mistakes.
How can supervisors improve their ability to make mistakes?
There are various ways in which supervisors can improve their ability to make mistakes. One way is to regularly reflect on your own mistakes and question yourself critically. Managers should ask themselves what they have learned from their mistakes and how they can avoid making the same mistakes in the future. They should also be willing to apologize to their employees for their mistakes and accept feedback from them.
Another option is to have an open conversation with employees and encourage them to share their own mistakes. Managers should make their employees feel that mistakes are accepted and that it is important to learn from them. By showing your employees that they make mistakes themselves, you can help create an open error culture in the company.
Conclusion
In a working world that is changing ever faster, the ability to learn from mistakes is becoming increasingly important. Managers have a role model function and should therefore deal with their own mistakes openly and transparently. This is the only way they can credibly convey that mistakes are not only allowed, but also desired. An open error culture promotes innovation and creativity in the company and increases the motivation of employees to try out new ideas and to see mistakes as a learning opportunity.
