Transforming Fumbles into Tools for Growth

Ever made a mistake that felt like the end of the world? Trust me, I've been there too, especially when I was a greenhorn in software consultancy, working with exacting clients and under immense pressure. Yet, with each stumble, I found a way to turn it around, making the most of even the trickiest situations. 

Join me as I share my journey and the simple three-step process that helped me transform from a novice to a respected consultant. We'll talk about taking ownership, focusing on solutions, and going above and beyond to rectify problems. Discover how these steps not only helped me gain technical skills but also develop relationships with clients, turning them from disgruntled to delighted. Let's embrace the fact that we're all bound to slip up at some point, and learn how to turn those fumbles into our most powerful tools for growth.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Remove the fear of mistakes. When you start a new project or take on a new task in your life, do you spend a lot of time worrying about making mistakes? In my first job at a university, I took a position that involved traveling to customer sites to implement fairly complex software systems. I had very little experience compared to other consultants who performed the same role. My company was billing out my time at very expensive rates, so, as you can imagine, the customer expectation was very high. Inevitably there were times where I messed things up, usually due to lack of experience. In some cases the mistakes would impact other parts of the business, cause downtime or delay project deadlines. Obviously, the client would not be happy in those circumstances. Almost 100% of the time, I was able to turn a stressful situation like this into a win for both myself and the customer.

Speaker 1: 0:57

Here was the simple three-step process 1. Take ownership. I made sure that the client knew I was taking full responsibility for the problem. I apologized for the mistake and assured them that I was going to do everything possible to correct it. 2. Focus on the solution.

Speaker 1: 1:16

Instead of getting frustrated, upset or panicked, I forced myself to only dwell on potential solutions. I would call colleagues for support and research the problem thoroughly, and eventually a solution would present itself. 3. Go above and beyond.

Speaker 1: 1:32

Once a solution was determined, not only would I implement and test the solution, I would do anything else beyond the call of duty that proved to the customer that I cared about doing a good job. It could be something simple like writing a process document on how the problem was resolved, or something more complex like adding features to their system that they didn't pay for, maybe as a bonus. In many cases, I was able to turn the once frustrated upset customer into a raving fan. The fact that I made a mistake was so easily forgivable because I earned the respect and admiration of the client through my actions. Learn to accept the fact that you're going to mess up at some point in life or in business. When you commit to excellence, however, and do what it takes to correct mistakes, when you make them, you normally pick up a ton of technical skill. You also earn the support of the people that you deal with.