As I write this, I’m headed to my aunt’s funeral in Seattle.  It’s been a rollercoaster year.  This March, my wife and I started our family with the adoption of our son Theodore.  Last fall, I lost my dad, Theodore, in a farming accident.  While I think about my dad daily, in times like this, I find myself remembering what he said and how he lived.

“If you do nothing, you won’t make any mistakes” were the first words that came from my father’s mouth after I told him about the accident.  Between semesters at St. Thomas, I had returned to work on the farm.  One day, I was pulling a tree out of a wooded area using a log chain and a truck.  No matter how much I revved the engine, the log was immovable.  Irritated, I revved the engine.  There was a snap followed by a spinning sound.  Looking down, I realized the parking brake was on.  I broke the axel.

I trudged home. Before I reached the farm, dad met me.  I told him what happened.  He reminded me that “If you do nothing, you’ll make no mistakes.” Then he said, “Let’s go take a look at the truck.” No yelling.  No reprimand. 

He taught me to create an environment where things get done… an environment where it’s “safe” to make decisions, to do work, and to, sometimes, make mistakes.  This is an environment of results.   This was proven recently when my wife and I adopted our son from Korea this March.

When I shared I’d be taking a month off, some friends said, “You’re out for a month… what’s going to happen to Intertech?” I shared that things would go O.K.  With March finished, I realize I’m wrong. 

This March is our best on record.  Obviously, not a lot of mistakes were made but a lot of decisions and work were. 

Tom’s Takeway
If you’re in charge of team or firm, do they know it’s safe to be wrong?