Page 217 - Appreciative Leadership

190 Appreciative Leadership

Making the Most of Mistakes

The English poet Alexander Pope said, “To err is human.” Rather than
blaming and shaming people for making mistakes, appreciative leaders

creatively turn errors into opportunities. They may do this by regarding
mistakes as opportunities for learning; but when they are best, appre-
ciative leaders intuitively follow one of the cardinal rules of improvisa-
tional theater, which is to say “yes and …”—even to mistakes.
Consultant Frank Barrett quotes jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and
composer Miles Davis as having said, “If you’re not making a mis-
take, it’s a mistake.” He goes on to tell the story of how, in the middle
of a recording session, one of Davis’s band members played a bla-
tantly wrong note. Davis promptly repeated the note—first once, then

again—changing scales and building a whole new riff off of it. Th e

result was an innovative, groundbreaking sound that sold hundreds of
thousands of albums and continues to be emulated today. 10
Appreciative Leadership turns honest mistakes into creative
opportunities that demonstrate integrity and gain respect.

In front of hundreds of people at a foundation gathering,
I gave a grant recipient a wrong check. It was more money

than we had planned to give the recipient. The vice president
in charge of the event saw it as an opportunity. Rather than
blame me and take the check back, apologize, and create a
big drama, she turned it into a positive opportunity. Aft er the
event, she sent out an additional news release highlighting the

award. The result was a large article in the local newspaper
that led to more donations. Because she thought positively,
we ended up benefiting from my mistake.

As this story illustrates, mistakes can lead to innovation. A safety
manager at Boeing Corporation is quoted as having said, “When