Learning from Mistakes at Work: KaiNexus and Value Capture Excerpts
What does a constructive response to a mistake look like at work? These two excerpts from The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation offer a place to start. They feature Ken Segel's experience and Greg Jacobson's perspective on learning and continuous improvement.
Update: The book is now a Shingo Publication Award Recipient!
One was published on the Value Capture website since it includes a story from their CEO, Ken Segel.
Value Capture: How a leader responds
We're all human. Therefore, we're not just prone to human error; we're guaranteed to make them. The way leaders react to mistakes makes all the difference, as the story shared by Value Capture CEO Ken Segel (from early in his career) illustrates.
KaiNexus: Kindness that supports learning
As co-founder and CEO Greg Jacobson, MD, told me,
“You can't have a culture of continuous improvement without learning from mistakes.”
A question to discuss with your team
After reading either excerpt, ask: “If the same mistake happened here, what would the person expect us to do?” Compare that expectation with how you would want to respond.
A promise that people can speak up is a starting point. The response they actually experience teaches them whether that promise is credible. Thanking someone for raising a problem matters, and so does helping address the consequences and following through on improvement.
You can take a small next step without introducing a new program: in your next discussion of a mistake, ask what made it possible and what support would help prevent it. Agree on a change to try and when to check the result.
Explore the book before deciding
The excerpts offer two perspectives. The free preview lets you see how the book develops its approach to learning, accountability, and improvement, without reproducing the full stories here.
Visit the book website for editions and buying options. If you would like help bringing these discussions to a larger audience, explore my speaking sessions.
