TFT: Mistakes Happen, What’s Next?
How to Own your Mistakes and Turn them into Wins
Last post was all about a specific mistake of hiring the wrong person. This post is more of a broader challenge of a mistake you make with a customer. Meaning you make the wrong product, you did not show up like you promised you would, or maybe that product or service just was not right for this customer. Mistakes happen, and if you’re running a small business, you’ve likely faced a few. Whether you delivered the wrong product, missed a deadline, or simply didn’t meet the client’s expectations, the question now is: what do you do next? This TFT post dives into the steps you should take to own your mistakes, correct them quickly, and learn for the future.
Own It
Owning up to your mistakes is critical. It may sound obvious, but businesses often fumble this step. Don’t hide behind excuses or blame someone else. Your client knows something went wrong—acknowledge it. A simple statement like “We’re sorry, we messed up on XYZ,” can help defuse a tense situation. Remember, the worst thing you can do is shift the blame. A prime example comes from Boeing, where their failures to own up immediately contributed to larger setbacks. The faster you take responsibility, the quicker you can get to work on the solution.
Correction in Process
Once you’re aware of the mistake, get to work on the solution—fast. If you can develop a corrective plan before even reaching out to the customer, that’s even better. Can you get the replacement product to them tomorrow? Can you reshuffle priorities to have a technician available immediately? The sooner you can offer a solution, the more likely your customer is to forgive the error. Studies show that 70% of consumers are more likely to stick with a company if an issue is resolved quickly and effectively (Salesforce).
What Have You Learned
So you made a mistake and you corrected it and your on to the next job. After all you have to keep the revenue flowing to make up for the costs you had to eat on the mistake. While that is true and it’s great that you are on to the next job you also need to take time to reflect. Conduct an after action review on the previous three jobs, good and bad. When you do ask yourself these questions:
What went well?
What can we improve?
What systems or processes need to be improved?
What do I want to do the same next time?
What do I want to do differently?
Once you’ve solved the problem and moved on to the next job, take a step back to reflect. Conduct an After Action Review (AAR) and analyze what went well, what didn’t, and how you can improve. Regularly conducting these reviews on both successful and problematic jobs will improve your processes and minimize future mistakes. For instance, many tech companies like Amazon have implemented robust AAR processes, ensuring they learn from failures and enhance their systems for the future.
Action Step
Establish an after action review (AAR). Use the questions above or come up with your own 4 to 5 questions to each job. Schedule time with the team to review jobs on a regular basis. Ensure they know there is no punishment here. This is about building a better system for more success in the future.