I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my business, but when I look back, there’s one truly terrible screw up that stands out in my mind.
I was working on a special promotion at Tony Robbins Companies, and although I had painstakingly planned everything out, there was one crucial detail that I had overlooked—and as a result, the entire campaign was about to be ruined. Worst of all, the customers weren’t going to get the products they ordered.
I felt AWFUL. But instead of having a meltdown and giving up (which I was so close to doing), I came up with a solution that not only fixed the mistake, but gave us an even BETTER result than we would have gotten if everything had been done right in the first place!
Find out how I turned my big mistake into a win for the company, and how you can do the same with your own mistakes by clicking on the video below.
After watching, please comment and let me know what big mistake you made in the past and what you learned from it, so we can improve together. Also, if you know someone who could benefit from these tips, please share this video with them!
Back in the day….. I was presenting to the Experimental Aircraft group. I was all prepared, excited but nervous. I had all my slides, yes we used slides years ago and written notes of my flying stories. Out the door, arriving early in the room to set up and someone said to me, ‘Where is the slide projector?” Yep, I had left it at home and nicely sitting by the back door. Fortunately someone at home delivered promptly and my evening presentation was saved. LEARNED FROM IT. Make a check list and go through it at least once, twice, etc including in your car. In aviation we have this saying, “An accident often begins before the flight even left the ground.” We use a checklist from day one for every flight no matter the number of years of flying experience. Just glance in the cockpit next time you board for a trip.
Thanks for your post Debbie! I can relate as I’ve forgotten to download my slide deck, forgotten my clicker, props, etc. – you name it. Yours has some nice irony to it though given that you were speaking to an organization in the airline industry! Today, my kids make fun of me for all my lists, but I’m with you – a checklist makes it easy! XO to you!
Great ways to deal with mistakes we all make. Dealing with mistakes are also a good indicator of how successful a manager/supervisor/leader is. When someone is beaten down for a mistake, that person now bring a a negative attitude to work, is less likely to share innovative ideas or solutions, and will happily walk out of the door when the opportunity arises.
On the other hand, when someone is allowed to redeem him or herself and grow from the situation, he or she knows they are valued, is more likely to be supportive of and helpful towards others, and creates a solution-minded workplace culture.
Kelley, I agree 100%! I always think of the IBM story of the exec who made a $500,000 mistake and was packing up his office thinking he’d be fired. Then, Thomas Watson walks in and says “what are you doing?” The exec says, “Cleaning out my office – obviously, I’m fired.” Watson replies, “Why in the world would I fire you? I just spent $500,000 training you!??!” I think careless mistakes are another issue, but a sincere, honest mistake is how we all grow. I agree that the attitude and environment we foster in the process of helping our teams through mistakes is critical. Thanks for bringing up this important point!
i didn’t made any big mistake, i think it was all small.
after reading your blog posts i realised two mistakes was losing focus on providing real value to audiences and providing irrelevant information that i thought it’s helpful.
i’m more confident to correct things now