Mon, August 30, 2010 - 3:08:27

Fear, Failure, and Forgiveness

When discussing how managers can harness the POWER OF NICE we often explain how the simple act of owning up to mistakes and apologizing can go a long way toward strengthening teams, increasing productivity, and spurring innovation. But, a recent blog post by author and Stanford University professor Bob Sutton points out another important skill that good bosses must possess: in addition to being able to apologize for their own missteps, they must have the ability to forgive others.

As Sutton explains, managers often make the mistake of driving a hard line and punish employees for failures, instead of forgiving them. Although such stoic behavior is intended to push everyone to strive for perfection, it’s actually self-defeating. When managers place too much of a premium on success, they create a fear of failure. And that can have a dramatic negative impact on the way people work.

When you fear failure, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. But, as we’ve discovered at the Kaplan Thaler Group, when you let go of that fear and accept that you may fail, you prime your mind for success. Where fear creates inhibitions and doubt, the absence of fear opens your mind to new possibilities and allows you to see things in new ways—ways you might have otherwise ruled out.

Forgiving your employees for their mistakes, however, doesn’t mean turning a blind eye. Instead, working with them to understand what went wrong and giving them encouragement to move forward helps them learn, meaning they’ll be less likely to make the same errors in the future.

Moreover, when managers set an example of forgiveness, it goes a long way toward fostering a culture of NICE throughout an organization. When this happens, teams collaborate, people communicate, and Bang! ideas blossom. And the less afraid you are to look for them, the more frequently they’ll appear.

Posted by Linda and Robin