Take a moment and honestly ask yourself whether or not
you feel like you forced to blame others so that you won’t be blamed for mistakes
that occur at work?
It is easy to fall into the trap where you spend a lot of
time and energy deflecting blame rather than addressing it head on. It is especially difficult to take credit for
errors when you have a boss who always needs to figure out who is at fault, but
by owning up to your mistakes you are in a position to learn from them and to
take establish corrective actions to enhance your future performance.
A critical component of your professional growth is
learning how to manage mistakes effectively, to your advantage and to the
advantage of others.
Review the following Accountability Spectrum and
determine your current level of accountability.
Level
One: Playing the blame game? If your mistakes, missed deadlines, inferior
quality of work is usually due to your lack of assistance, funds, resources,
tools, support, time…..you are playing the blame game.
Level
Two: Realizing that change is needed, identifying
the issue, but expecting someone else to come to the rescue.
Level
Three: Acknowledging
mistakes and failures, confronting them directly and hoping that your
willingness to own up to your faults is
enough.
Level
Four: Identifying and
taking responsibility for your mistakes, missed deadlines, and failing to meet
standards. Examining the errors, identifying the root cause and what needs to
change, developing a strategy to correct the problem and creating a plan that
will prevent you from making the same type of mistake.
Level
Five: Taking Level Four
and running with it! Executing the plan
with a clear focus, discipline and
extraordinary effort. In Level five you
are consciously using your strengths to enhance your performance. You are willing to do what it takes to break
down any roadblocks to your success.
Everyone
wants to work with a Level Five. They are the leaders. They take risks and use their failures as
building blocks. They are always looking
for ways to be more effective, efficient and add value as a team player. Having
your own personal career coach will help
you become a Level Five and maintain that energy when events or that surround you, or a challenging boss
tries to drag you down the spectrum.
We all fall short once in awhile. If you don’t miss the mark occasionally you
are not pushing yourself and trying new ways to add value professionally.
“I’ve
missed more than nine thousand shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game
winning shot and missed. I’ve failed
over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” Michael Jordan
Become the Michael Jordan within your profession. Don’t be ordinary, take the steps you need to
take to be extraordinary.
Please email me at Lsilvershein@arkcareercoaching.com
and let me know what you have done this week that pushes you toward being a
Level Five. It is within your reach, it is up to you to reach Level Five and to
stay there with gusto.
