Pamela Quillin, P.E.
  • Home - Career Overview
  • Key Accomplishments
    • Micro Motion, Inc.
    • Marathon Petroleum Co.
    • PPG Industries, Inc.
  • Recommendations
    • Other Recommendations
  • Papers
  • My Company
  • Blog

Admitting Mistakes

5/3/2011

0 Comments

 
I like Dr. Robert Lustig of Sugar:  The Bitter Truth fame.  He's doing a wonderful PSA, Public Service Announcement, about sugar and its harmful effects in its refined state.  I like him for another reason regarding the way he handles mistakes.

In the Bitter Truth, he asks then answers what one does when they realize they've made a mistake.  His answer, "You admit the mistake then right the ship."  I applaud him for his frankness and willingness to admit mistakes.  Too few of us have that capacity.

For years I was told it was verboten to admit to making a mistake or saying that anyone else had made one.  You don't do it under any circumstances because it is a career ender.  Engineers to mid-level managers have said this.  I never subscribed to it because I make mistakes and sometimes often.  I've learned some of my greatest lessons from my mistakes.  I wouldn't miss those for anything.

Not admitting to mistakes has always been a puzzling position to me.  If you aren't admitting to mistakes, how do you know you're on the wrong path and need to change?  For example, if I cannot admit that my sugar habit is bad, harmful, making me fat, causing migraines, causing brain fog, etc., i.e., is a mistake to eat, why stop eating sugar or sugary foods?  There has to be a causation to produce action.  The causation is admission that eating sugar is unhealthy ergo a mistake.  The action:  stop eating sugar.

I've seen many instances where this philosophy should be applied but isn't.  If an individual, a group, or a company is making a mistake, admit the mistake and right the ship.

It isn't so bad and it makes you feel so much better.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I have spent years in the bowels of manufacturing plants helping to bring numerous products to market that touch virtually every aspect of life.

    Archives

    March 2014
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    November 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    April 2010
    December 2009

    Categories

    All
    Alternative Energy
    Humor
    Political
    Subsidies

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.