How corporations can transform a culture of blame.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Article Author: <\/div>\n

Ofir Paldi, CEO and Founder, Shamaym<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tAlthough no one ever likes to air their mistakes, it’s particularly painful in the workplace. Admitting to errors can be ego-bruising at best; managers and peers often see it as a sign of weakness—and, at worst, it could even put your job in jeopardy. Trying to save face, however, might be the worst mistake of all. Avoiding reality when you’ve gone off track deprives not only you, but your entire team of an opportunity for learning, communicating, and collaborating more successfully.<\/p>\n

\n\tOrganizations willing to openly face mistakes may be rare. Fortunately, we can look to one outstanding model for talking about our mistakes as a team, clearly, concisely, and without blame: the Israeli Air Force. Their down-to-earth approach to this process as a form of continuous learning can translate into any organizational culture, and, ultimately, replaceblame<\/a> and judgment with accountability and transparency. That’s a goal well worth pursuing.<\/p>\n

\n\tWe’re Only Human<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tNo matter how hard-working and dedicated we may be, human beings make mistakes.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat’s an inescapable truth. So what happens when someone makes a mistake in your organization? In many corporate cultures, the answer is secrecy and evasion. Erring employees want to avoid repercussions, including the anger of team members. Above all, they’re trying to hold onto their jobs. If you fire someone for making a mistake, no one will ever own up to a mistake again.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a revved-up, intensive corporate culture, continuous learning<\/a> often lands far down in the ranks of priorities. But you can’t achieve excellence without it. From that perspective, mistakes can be redefined as tools for learning. Imagine the value of learning from everything you do—mistakes and good choices alike—and using those lessons to improve and avoid making those same mistakes ever again. That mental switch can set your team on the road to excellence.<\/p>\n

\n\tDedicating the Time, Building a Process<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIn a business world starved for time, the greatest challenge is making time for self-learning and open communication among teams. This is where the Israeli Air Force<\/a> shines as a practical model. The Air Force builds time into every day for teams to review their latest flights. Everyone participates in this high-priority daily debriefing, so team members can learn from their teammates’ errors as well as their own—which goes a long way toward making sure those mistakes won’t happen again.<\/p>\n

\n\tCorporate teams can be trained to debrief in just a few minutes using a simple, focused process. Many people find that simplicity to be the most powerful aspect of the process.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut doing it effectively is, in fact, challenging for most people. It starts with understanding what part of the experience is most valuable to accomplishing their objectives. Then they must learn how to answer three key questions:<\/p>\n

\n\t1. What happened?<\/strong> People like to tell stories, but here they need to adjust their mindset and learn to keep answers short and specific<\/p>\n

\n\t2. Why did it happen?<\/strong> This is about accountability—what was your part in a complex situation?<\/p>\n

\n\t3. How can you improve?<\/strong> Answers must be actionable, not general and vague. Very specifically, what needs to change, and how will you change it?<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen debriefings are shared in meetings, team member speak only for themselves, and discuss only their individual roles in any situation. In the name of accountability, managers, co-workers, clients, and traffic jams are never mentioned.<\/p>\n