by Pamela Jett, CSP
I read in today’s edition of the Harvard Business Review’s on-line management tip of the day that it is vitally important for leaders and managers to let employees make mistakes. I would agree. It is often wise to step-in and correct an employee before a mistake is made, especially if it will be a large or costly error. However, it is also often wise to step back and allow an employee to make a mistake and then coach them on the back end on how to either fix it or do better in the future.
By allowing employees the freedom to learn from their mistakes, leaders are not only contributing to an employee’s sense of personal responsibility and success, they are also improving employee engagement. It is a well known fact that people like their own ideas the most and will be committed and engaged in implementing solutions or ideas that they help create.
So how can a leader or manager use remarkable communication to coach an employee after a mistake has been made? One way is to make sure you communicate in the positive, not the negative. Sometimes as leaders we are so busy telling people what not to do that we forget to tell them what right looks like. Monitor your use of the word “don’t” and make a concerted effort to “ditch the don’t” and communicate in the positive, not the negative. Share with employees what you would like them to do next time. Better yet, ask them what they think they ought to do next time. You will enhance employee engagement by asking employees (or your children if you are being a leader at home) for their input.
Help your employees, your children, your colleagues, and even yourself learn from mistakes. Use remarkable communication to help them learn and you will see commitment and employee engagement soar!
How has communicating in the positive helped you? Leave a comment and share your success story!
Tags: communication, Employee Engagement, parenting
