Stop hiding your mistakes

Did you agree to work with that guy? Yea, I sent him our contract, and we will start the project soon. I don't think he can be trusted. Come on! How come, what did you see? I spoke to him and noticed some telltale signs; I have seen these negative traits before. Nooo! You imagine stuff, this is a significant project, and we have checked him out. He is good. Let's do this.

That was an actual conversation I had with a colleague many years ago. We went through with the project, pulled all the stops, hired experts to join the team, rented more space, and delivered top-quality work. All through this, the client kept making promises to pay but never did! I even stupidly sent the final report without receiving a penny.

Individual mistakes can go undetected, but a sequence of hidden errors is a recipe for disasters. What did I learn? For one, I learned never to ignore our processes. Disasters don't just happen! We had multiple defences, safeguards and barriers built into our processes that would have stopped this from happening;

• client acceptance procedures;
• upfront payment requirements;
• draft submission and additional payment requirements;
• final payment and delivery procedures;
• and much more.

But, when a Boss says go, people go, right? And everyone is happy until something goes wrong, then we remember the process!

"Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes" ~ Oscar Wilde

Have you heard of the Swiss Cheese Model? Also called the human error model, first introduced by James Reason in 1990. Cheese as you know has holes (mistakes) and if you line up multiple slices of cheese, it is rare that a set of holes from each slice align perfectly. But it does happen now and again, meaning all barriers fail in sequence and that is when catastrophes happen. Professionals in Air traffic and Medicine use this model a lot, and for good reason, it saves lives.

How do mistakes happen

Let's summarize how mistakes happen by reviewing the types, modes and factors contributing to mistakes in our day-to-day. Taiwo, which type of error occurs most often for you? What can you do to mitigate against them?

Types of mistakes:

• real mistakes: when you carry out the wrong process
• blackouts / Lapses: when you forget part of the process
• slip-ups: when you carry out the right process but incorrectly

Modes of Mistakes/Errors:

• Skills-based: errors due to inattention
• Knowledge-based: having an inaccurate mental picture
• Rules-Based: bad choices due to misinterpretation

Contributing factors

• People: friends, Boss, team, colleagues
• Technical: workplace, equipment
• Organizational: tasks, timing
• External: economic, climate, time, weather

So, actively learn from your mistakes and those of others and test and improve your processes. Remember, change and improvement is always a work in progress.