Mistakes Need Attention – But Consistent Appreciation Is Valuable.

There is an illustration that has made its way around social media which goes something like this…

One day, a school teacher wrote the following on a chalkboard,

9×1=7
9×2=18
9×3=27
9×4=36
9×5=45
9×6=54

When he was finished he looked to his students and the class began to laugh. When he asked them why, one student pointed out that the first equation was wrong. The teacher responded by saying, “I wrote the first one wrong on purpose to show you something very important. This is how the world will treat you. You can see that I wrote 5 other RIGHT answers, but none of you gave me recognition for that. You all laughed and criticized me for the one wrong thing that I did. The world will not always appreciate the good that you do, but it will put you down for the one wrong mistake you make. Always rise above the criticism and stay strong!”

As leaders, it is important that we get a different message from this illustration. The “world” that we function in is often focused on outcomes – and appropriately so. Organisations require certain outcomes to survive. Those organisations also pay their people for their knowledge, qualification, expertise and skill. It is appropriate to expect that they will not make fundamental mistakes, but also important to realise that mistakes can and do happen. When there is a mistake made, it is appropriate that a certain amount of focus is applied to how the mistake occurred and what will be done to not only correct it, but also what changes can be made to ensure that it does not happen again.

An understanding of our own personality and the personality types that make up our team is invaluable when you are involved in this kind of leadership. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator is a great tool which can help us to define and then understand the differences in personality profiles. The tool provides 4 sets of preference pairs which explain different aspects of our personality and therefore our behaviour. Extraversion -v- Introversion which describes where we direct our energy and attention – either to our External world or our Internal world; Sensing -v- iNtuition which describes what kind of data we rely on to make our decisions; Thinking -v Feeling which describes how we make the decisions with the data we have gathered; and Judging -v- Perceiving which describes the extent to which we need our world ordered. Understanding the differing types within your team will help you identify what is the best way to go about resolving the mistake and how it can best be communicated so that everyone is on the same page.

It is equally important however to recognize the good work that your team is doing – as they are doing it! Some personality types find this easier than others – especially the “F” or Feeling types because they value the impact on others in their communication. However, if you want your team to thrive, making appreciation of what is going well part of your modus operandi will certainly help build an environment and culture that your team enjoys being a part of. Be warned though, this is more difficult than it sounds, because the appreciation needs to be consistent, authentic and delivered in a way that connects with the personality you are appreciating. For example, if you have “S” or Sensing types in your team, they will want specific, verifiable feedback rather than some mix of loose and “feel-good” platitudes. Understanding your team and crafting your communication will help you deliver the appreciation well.

The teacher is right – the mistakes get the majority of our attention and so it is easier for us to spend our effort there, but don’t forget that there are so many more times when your team gets it right – and everyone values being appreciated for the contribution they make, regardless of their personality.

Kind Regards

Narelle