Let’s Give Some Grace

Last week I was on a Zoom call. A researcher was presenting a report to the group. During the presentation the researcher told us that he had made an error in one aspect of the project. He confessed this with no emotion in his voice. He didn’t fall on his sword; he simply stated what happened and what he planned to do to correct the error. No drama. No beating himself up. No boring the audience by droning on and on about the mistake. He then shared data that wasn’t effected by the error.

I’ve thought a lot about that presentation. I have no idea how the researcher reacted when he first discovered the error. I hope he was as calm as he was during the Zoom call.

The past 14 months have been tough on everyone. I’ve made weird snafus that are typically out of character for me. I bet you have, too. I’ve had coaching clients be extraordinarily hard on themselves over their mistakes and perceived lack of productivity. I remind them of all the “wins” they’ve had…while living through a pandemic.

This week, let’s agree to give ourselves and each other some grace.