We all mess up. We all fail. They’re often very painful and uncomfortable experiences in the moment they occur but teach us some valuable lessons. Personally, I think people should discuss their failures more often. We’re all human after all, and I think openly discussing our flubs and botches provides a unique opportunity for connection and a chance to share important lessons.
So, that’s what I want to hear from all of you! Briefly describe an “oops” moment from your own life or career, and then tell us what you learned. No shame here. I want to hear about your mess-ups, big or small.
I’ll go first! Prior to my career in tech, I studied filmmaking. The curriculum of film school was largely based in practicum. So, that meant we produced a lot of short films and worked on a lot of productions. On one such production that I was leading, there was a scene that called for lots of extras, as it took place at a lively party.
We had promoted the call for extras, had people sign up, and made it through our talent release paperwork, etc. “That was that,” I thought. Another box checked. From there on out, to be honest, I neglected them. I focused all my attention on the crew and the lead actors. I didn’t set expectations or manage communications well with the extras on set.
Of course, this came back to bite me. We had fallen behind on the shooting schedule quite a bit, and the extras had no idea what was going on. Some were so frustrated that I think they just left; walked off set. I got really angry at the time, but I realized later that this was my fault. My lack of engagement with the extras pushed them away. We finally got through that production day, although I had to embarrassingly request that some of the crew double as extras, since we had some leave our set or not show up at all. We eventually scraped by and finished that short film, with a few more hits to my confidence and ego along the way.
But, there was a big lesson I learned from this.
When humans are given responsibilities they should also be given expectations and continual engagement.
- I had given these extras a job to do, but then didn’t properly communicate what I expected of them or the changes that were happening on set in real time. They were frustrated and in hindsight, I realize this frustration came from a desire to succeed but a gap between that desire and the information I equipped them with. They were not equipped to do their job due to my lack of engagement with them. If you’re a people manager, maybe this resonates with you. And, just as missing a single screw can cause an entire machine to malfunction, my neglect of this part of the film production caused the shoot to temporarily break down.
So, what’s a failure you’d like to share? What did you learn from it?
I’m excited to read about how our past blunders have made us better. Thanks for sharing!
