A Checklist for How to Learn from your Mistakes

Scott Berkun writes, "You can only learn from a mistake after you admit you've made it... But for many reasons admitting mistakes is difficult." The following checklist can be use to help in learning from mistakes:

  • Accepting responsibility makes learning possible.
  • Don't equate making mistakes with being a mistake.
  • You can't change mistakes, but you can choose how to respond to them.
  • Growth starts when you can see room for improvement.
  • Work to understand why it happened and what the factors were.
  • What information could have avoided the mistake?
  • What small mistakes, in sequence, contributed to the bigger mistake?
  • Are there alternatives you should have considered but did not?
  • What kinds of changes are required to avoid making this mistake again?
  • What kinds of change are difficult for you?
  • How do you think your behavior should/would change if you were in a similar situation again?
  • Work to understand the mistake until you can make fun of it (or not want to kill others that make fun).
  • Don't over-compensate: the next situation won't be the same as the last.

Credits: Copyright © 2005 Scott Berkun - Read complete article, #44 - How to learn from your mistakes, July 17 2005.