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Ugh. I hate it when I make a mistkae.

I realize it’s unavoidable. Sometimes you just need to shake it off and move on – especially when it comes to client deliverables. I want to ensure a high level of quality, but the typo, the miscommunication – it’s all I can see. In reality, we’re our own worst critics, right?

What’s your favorite mistake?

Give this song by 2023 Rock Hall inductee Sheryl Crow a listen as we see what the experts are saying this week!

Your Second (B2B) Mistake

We’ve all made them. Our colleagues have made them. It happens from time to time. But the SECOND mistake, the avoidable one, is the one that really causes trouble.

According to Seth Godin: “When the first mistake flusters us, breaks our rhythm or messes with our confidence, we’re far more likely to make the second one. It’s almost impossible to avoid making a mistake. But avoiding the second mistake (or, just as likely, the cover-up) is a learnable skill.”

What’s YOUR favorite B2B mistake? Perhaps it’s the time you copied a client on that embarrassing internal memo (I’ve done this). Maybe it’s that social media communication posted in error. Did it make you feel like you would go up in flames? Let me know what it was – and how you avoided that second mistake!

Fake it Till You Make it

Playing music is hard… possibly harder than you realize. And performing music flawlessly can be a daunting task. During the years that I ran a School of Rock music school, we always told our students to “fake it till you make it.” If you make a mistake on stage, recover, and make it look good.

So what are some other tactics to handle making mistakes during a performance?

  • Find your place
  • Communicate with your bandmates
  • Don’t be super obvious (that’s the “fake it till you make it” bit)
  • Learn from your mistakes
  • Minimize nervousness

How does this apply to B2B? I think we can all learn from the great musical performers we’ve seen. Are they always perfect performances? Heck, no! Sometimes the ‘mistakes’ are the most exciting part of the performance!

So when you’ve made up the bed and it comes time to lie in it, at least you can make it a little more comfortable. Mistakes happen – you can’t avoid it. OWN the mistake… and make it your own! Apply some of these musical concepts to your own B2B environment and you can still come out on top!

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello!

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat