Comments on: The Price Of Folly http://effectivecio.com/2009/08/12/the-price-of-folly/ ...ruminations on many things, all ultimately related to effective IT leadership... Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:44:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Scott Booher http://effectivecio.com/2009/08/12/the-price-of-folly/#comment-666 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:54:42 +0000 http://effectivecio.com/?p=1215#comment-666 Great post Chuck. Agree that either extreme of feedback for errors made is not helpful. The trick seems to be dialing in the right amount of feedback for the situation, AND the person receiving it. Is the offender a hard case to get the message through, or are they just coming off another highly-visible goof and there’s a chance of overdoing it? It seems to me that leaders who can successfully gauge the right level/seriousness of feedback for these situations can really accelerate the growth/learning of staff w/o demoralizing them.

]]> By: Long Huynh http://effectivecio.com/2009/08/12/the-price-of-folly/#comment-665 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:01:22 +0000 http://effectivecio.com/?p=1215#comment-665 “People fail because they don’t learn from their mistakes.” And from others’ ones.
When I was a much younger manager, I has a “staff-of-the-month” scheme to honor a particular team member every month. The twist was that I made the choice by myself but asked the team to justify it. Whoever came closest got points for a year-end gift. When I started to select someone who just has made a big mistake, their initial surprise was gradually replaced by an understanding. Not only that the culprit learned from his/her mistake, but others would as well. From that point on, everyone took care to turn a mistake into something more positive.

]]> By: Reigneer Nabong http://effectivecio.com/2009/08/12/the-price-of-folly/#comment-664 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:10:34 +0000 http://effectivecio.com/?p=1215#comment-664 Great article. From all the insightful comments, I’d say you can write a whole thesis on the subject. In a team environment, I believe the middle ground that fosters learning and avoid the pitfalls of both extremes vary for each team member. I believe team members’ personality traits play a big role in how the leader should address mistakes. Some may be able to take a little bit more “tongue-lashing” than others. There is a certain point when an individual will activate his or her defense mechanisms when being confronted with his or her mistakes. Great leaders are the ones who can come close to that point but never cross it.

]]> By: Brian Blanchard http://effectivecio.com/2009/08/12/the-price-of-folly/#comment-663 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:40:54 +0000 http://effectivecio.com/?p=1215#comment-663 Another great article…
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received from a supervisor: “Fail early, Succeed often”. There is no better source of innovation or growth than controlled failure and the genuine discussions that follow.

In the past, when hiring executives and managers, I have looked more closely at their failures than their successes. Every leader has failed at some point. Their reactions to those failures are the best indicators of their ability to lead and grow a team.

As an agilist, I have to agree with Sam, failure is our friend. Inviting that good friend and wise council to the table, significantly increases the likelihood of success. Embracing failure early in any endeavor will make the entire effort more enjoyable for the whole team.

]]> By: Wally Bock http://effectivecio.com/2009/08/12/the-price-of-folly/#comment-657 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:04:27 +0000 http://effectivecio.com/?p=1215#comment-657 Great post, Chuck. In my experience, the best bosses invest in prevention and then have a calibrated response to mistakes.

The prevention is all the work that a boss does to set expectations, check for understanding and follow up to see if understanding turns into performance. The best go for lots of small course corrections.

When mistakes happen, great bosses make a judgment about the level of response that’s needed. Sometimes that’s none at all.

I’m not differing with you. I’m only suggesting that many small mistakes are already known by the people involved and appear to be one-time lapses. Most bosses are best off letting those go to spend their limited time and energy on the things that need attention.

But that only works in a team where everyone, including the boss, are accountable for behavior and performance.

]]> By: Sam Bayer http://effectivecio.com/2009/08/12/the-price-of-folly/#comment-656 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:16:05 +0000 http://effectivecio.com/?p=1215#comment-656 I take this one step further in my Agile view of the world. I plan and execute projects with the expressed intent to accelerate failure. Why wait for failure to find me and force me to deal with it on its terms? I feel more in control when I flush out failure and deal with it on my terms. Failure is my friend :-)

]]> By: Heather Hollick http://effectivecio.com/2009/08/12/the-price-of-folly/#comment-655 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:31:59 +0000 http://effectivecio.com/?p=1215#comment-655 Reminds of the old, no doubt apocryphal story about the sales executive who managed to lose a $10M deal. The CEO summons the sales exec to his office. Distraught, the sales exec opens the conversation saying, “Before you fire me . . . ”

The CEO snaps back, “Fire you! I just paid $10M to train you.”

]]> By: Susan Mazza http://effectivecio.com/2009/08/12/the-price-of-folly/#comment-654 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:26:27 +0000 http://effectivecio.com/?p=1215#comment-654 For me this points to the essence of the mindset required to hold someone to account in a way that honors both the individual and the organization. When people understand their mistakes and have the opportunity to fully feel and take responsibility for the impact of those mistakes without shame or blame they grow. And it is only by leaders holding people to account in this manner that you can create a culture of accountability.

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