“Admit & Learn” is an approach I use to learn from mistakes. I have shared this approach with many firms because it’s a simple tactic to modify behavior and train employees. And because everyone makes mistakes!
No one in a firm, including the owner or president, is free from making mistakes. And everyone is able to learn from mistakes with the right approach. That is where “Admit & Learn” factors in to business: If you make a mistake, admit it and learn from the mistake.
This approach begins with management. Management must encourage all staff members to be truthful when they do something incorrectly or forget to finish a process at work.
Some admittances need to happen in a confidential meeting while others are appropriate for staff meetings, but they must happen. And management must understand that employees are often fearful to admit mistakes, thus the encouragement truly matters.
But when employees admit mistakes during a staff meeting or casual morning meeting, all staff members benefit because it becomes a learning experience or refresher for all present.
Some examples of mistakes include when an employee:
• did not offer all merchandise
• forgot to have all forms signed
• almost opened wrong grave
• missed pre-need appointment
• small accident in company auto
• did not order urn in a timely fashion
• did not cremate human remains timely
The most important component of this process is: Did the employee learn to do things correctly, and did other employees learn? The process is not aimed at belittling employees. Rather, it is supposed to encourage the employee to improve. Learning and self-improvement are life-long processes in both personal and work environments.
Interestingly, once this process is established and employees are comfortable with it as a learning process rather than a way to ensure they are blamed, the effect snowballs. When one employee admits a mistake and is rewarded with discussion, proper training and a new approach, other employees will be more willing to admit and fix their mistakes – especially when they see that this mitigates the damage their mistake may cause.
This process can also be classified as employee training. The goal of this is to modify employee’s behavior regarding tasks performed at work. Taking action when problems develop and correcting them makes it relevant then to cover the same issue later as a refresher.
Also, addressing the issues when they happen halts further damage by correcting the incident.
Another benefit of “Admit and Learn” is that many times beneficial policies and procedures are developed as a result. Whenever new policies and procedures are implemented there must be some form of documentation. This documentation can be in the form of staff minutes, memo, or more formally in an employee manual. These policies and procedures are a way to protect your firm and the customers you serve.