A mistake is when someone makes a bad decision resulting in a negative outcome. A “mistake” does not include a deliberate act of malice or insubordination.

So when a well-intentioned employee makes a mistake consider the following coaching steps (LEARN acronym):

• Listen—allow the employee to tell the entire story and express his or her feelings.
• Evaluate—encourage the employee to self-evaluate the bad decision and coach for future improvement.
• Agree—come to a mutual understanding about how future similar situations might be handled.
• Recognize—if the employee took a calculated risk or initiative, be sure to recognize and reinforce those positive behaviors.
• Notice Need—try to determine what the individual may need to hear from you so he or she can move forward with only a bruised ego and not a destroyed ego.

Most managers know and even believe the mantra, “We can learn a lot from our mistakes.”

Just think about a major on-the-job mistake you have made and then consider the lessons you have taken from that mistake. Isn’t it easier to remember those lessons that were accompanied by heartaches and disappointments? Try to remember how your leader at the time handled the situation. Did he or she help you beat up on yourself or instead, was the situation used as a strong coaching opportunity? And more importantly, if your mistake involved you taking initiative or risk, were you commended for stepping up or were you told to stick to exactly what you are told to do?

I am willing to bet that the level of learning and increased or decreased confidence that you experienced was in direct proportion to how your leader reacted to the situation. Or, if he or she handled it poorly, how other leaders interacted with you as a result of the mistake.  It is important to remember that all leaders have the power to help their direct and indirect subordinates feel that mistakes are an opportunity to learn. Are you maximizing all the learning opportunities available through mistakes?