By Neil Phillips.

When was the last time you had a completely error-free day?  The answer is obvious—never.  It just doesn’t happen.  Mistakes are such a normal part of your daily patterns that you often don’t recognize them and just keeping pushing forward.  In coaching, we know how we manage our mistakes makes a difference.  Here are four guidelines to help you cope with your errors or coach someone through the process.

  1. Consciously be reflective. That’s not your solution, but it is the beginning.  You only recognize errors in hindsight.  Your actions are not mistaken until you see them in your rearview mirror.  Calling a mental timeout is the beginning of raising your awareness.  Once or twice a day, take a mental break and think back for the past few hours.  What conversations have you had that might lead to misinterpretations?  Are they important enough to act on?
  2. Own them. Or at least own your part of them.  For example, George, trying to be funny, asks you to make yourself useful and get some coffee.  You don’t see this as funny and react harshly.  You want to own your reaction.  Stick with the facts, keep your focus narrow, and hold yourself accountable.
  3. Fix them. What went wrong?  What do you need to repair?  How will your humility show? This is your chance to learn from your mistakes so you can get back on course.  You don’t need to make the same mistake repeatedly.
  4. Move forward. In the coaching world, we talk a lot about letting go and moving forward.  Recognize your error, claim it, do the best you can to repair it, and move forward.  You recognize your errors by looking backward.  You drive by looking forward.

You are not perfect.  You can improve your relationships by being more conscious of each part of them.

When will you be reflective today?

How Well Do You Adapt?

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