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When things go wrong, rather than focusing on identifying who made the mistake, focus on the situation and the solution.  Put your energy and attention into what happened, how best to fix it, what process improvements, training, and checks and balances are needed to insure it doesn’t happen again.

Resist finger-pointing or blaming.  Don’t go on a witch-hunt for the guilty party, and don’t name names.  Make these few adjustments and you’ll drive fear and hiding from mistakes out of your workplace. Employees will step up more readily and admit to mistakes once they trust that your priority is finding solutions.

Taking ownership for your actions, in an environment that values improvement and sustainable solutions, feels good.  Personal accountability blossoms in workplaces that demonstrate the importance of learning and growth.

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