Your survival guide for #*¢!ups

Mistakes – they’re not a big deal, unless they are.

During the 2011 Bridge Conference, Bonnie Catena of Amnesty International, Dolores McDonagh of What’s Next Consulting, Moira Kavanagh Crosby of MKDM and Amy Hawthorne Morris of The Nature Conservancy took a look at surviving mistakes, or #*¢!ups, as they called them. They offered the following Survival Guide about what to do in case of a #*¢!up. With each tip, they offered an observation by a noted (or not) sage.

• Be quick. “Computers have enabled people to make more mistakes faster than almost any invention in history, with the possible exception of tequila and handguns.” — Mitch Ratcliffe.
• Be positive. “I never make stupid mistakes. Only very, very clever ones.” — John Peel.
• Listen and learn. “We must not say every mistake is a foolish one.” — Cicero.
• Apologize, and do it really well. “Nothing is more helpful in resolving a situation than its frank admission.” — Benjamin Disraeli.
• Don’t apologize, but be ready to. “It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them.” – P.G. Wodehouse.
• Keep it in perspective. “Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way, unless it’s a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.” – Al Franken.