Have you ever had a bad day when nothing seemed to go right? Or a situation where your decision or plan turned out to be a real disaster? Maybe just a time when you said the wrong thing.
Did you think about the situation and say to yourself, “wow, that was stupid; I can’t believe I did that!”
Or did you say to yourself, “Excellent, now I know that won’t work so there must be another way!”
Check this out:
I remember my first year in college I worked at the local country club / golf course as part of the grounds crew. It was our responsibility to make sure the golf course was always in the best shape for the enjoyment of the members.
This meant we had to be very particular about making sure the equipment we used was in good condition, that we were careful and meticulous in our work mowing the greens, tees, and fairways, and that we were always courteous.
One day I was assigned to mow greens. I took out the mower and started on the green. We always checked the equipment first to make sure it was working well and there were no leaks. If you don’t know, hydraulic fluid will kill grass.
As I mowed, it looked like there was a little shine showing up on the grass in places. I looked to make sure there was no leak and didn’t see one. I finished the green and looked again, and it looked like there had been something leaking. I went back to the shop where the mechanic confirmed the leak. We quickly hosed the green to wash off as much hydraulic fluid as possible.
Well, you guessed it. That green ended up with lines on it where the grass died. That was one heck of a mistake on my part.
The good news is I wasn’t fired. The man I worked for knew more about running a business and golf course maintenance than a lot of people. He also knew a lot about teaching and coaching.
I was gone for a couple of years, and when I came back, I talked to him about working with him again.
He showed me a picture of the green I had ruined – which he kept on a bulletin board to show the reality of what can happen when something goes wrong, and then hired me.
He had taken my failure and turned it into a learning opportunity for every other person who worked on his maintenance crew. I will admit he gave me a hard time about it, but in a kind way. And he looked past the failure, through the learning, and into my potential.
Thanks Steve, for teaching that failure is not the end, and mistakes are for learning.
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