18. January 2024
Jenny Bittroff
A statement that we’ve probably all heard before, from our parents, in school, and at work when a situation doesn’t go as planned. Do you also find that this sentence tends to be more disconcerting than soothing?
When we make mistakes, one of the first feelings that arise is likely shame, embarrassment, or perhaps even direct guilt. And sometimes, these moments of embarrassment stay with us—along with the negative emotions associated with the mistakes.
Possible negative consequences and the feeling of failure make it difficult for many people to admit to themselves and others that they’ve made a mistake. Particularly in the business world, making mistakes is quickly associated with not living up to one’s responsibilities; errors are equated with personal weakness in an environment that often seems to disallow such vulnerability.
A tip beforehand: None of us is perfect and we shouldn’t even try to be! Yes, “We all make mistakes!”
And now, what if we could break free from the aforementioned cycle and reprogram our perspective on dealing with our mistakes? What if we could learn to see making mistakes as an opportunity to reflect and grow from our experiences?
When we welcome new team members at VAST FORWARD, one of the first things they hear is: “Please, make mistakes!” Because we believe that mistakes are important on the personal development journey—the only way to truly learn and confidently face upcoming challenges.
During a workshop at the beginning of the year, we played a little game called “Stinky Fish.” Each team member described a situation, either from a personal or business context, where they made a mistake and felt very embarrassed—the “stinky fish.” We anonymized these “stinky fish” and shared them on a board, and the team tried to guess which “stinky fish” belonged to which team member. There were absurd, funny, and sometimes really intense situations shared! After revealing the authors, we discussed these specific situations—trying to understand if and why the respective person felt embarrassed due to the mistake.
What can we say? By sharing these moments and memories with each other, we’ve taken a bit of the power that our “mistakes” had over us. We’re staying committed—aware that mistakes are important and are part of our journey.
It is also important to know how to deal with mistakes when they happen.
The following points can help you get through a potential crisis situation.
To avoid common sources of errors however, it is at least as important to work preventively on the core of the problem.
A healthy feedback culture within a company is therefore essential in order to strengthen satisfaction within the company and nurture team spirit.
However, one question often arises. How, when and at what intervals should feedback best be given? Personal feelings and preferences certainly play a major role here, but certain guidelines should be agreed within the company structure that everyone can follow.
For Vast Forward, a company with an exclusively remote structure, the topic of feedback is particularly important.
Due to our self-organized way of working in projects and the geographical distance between the team, we have to pay particular attention to giving regular and specific feedback, as a brief exchange in the coffee kitchen is not possible.
We have set out our guidelines on how we want to give feedback in our project management handbook.
This means that they are always accessible and can be read by all employees.
The feedback should be:
The guidelines appear to be formulated very succinctly and briefly, but they are clearly understandable to every employee and form a framework within which we can operate.
The fact is, you have to learn how to give feedback. There are a number of pitfalls that you can fall into, even if you really only mean well. To avoid a feedback discussion mutating into an argument, you should keep the following feedback no-goes in mind:
Of course, there are also guidelines and rules that you can follow when giving feedback.
The topic of giving and receiving feedback has always been with us all, because feedback, whether private or professional, was certainly given thousands of years ago.
However, the way we interact with each other has changed significantly over time. We want to interact with each other as equals, in an appreciative and respectful manner.
For this reason, a number of methods have been developed over time to make it easier for us to give feedback.
The WWW method is just the beginning and is a classic.
It works with the keywords perception, impact and desire.
Communicate your own perception and impact and formulate a wish that the person receiving the feedback can implement. We therefore move away from accusations, assumptions and demands, but leave room for an exchange.
This method has now been modified, refined and optimized several times.
The overarching topic of giving feedback and maintaining healthy teamwork is a bottomless pit and is constantly evolving. During our research, we came across the Liberating Structures platform and found many exciting approaches, methods and tools that can make everyday work easier. If you are interested in this topic, please take a look!
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