A learning culture shows up in what happens after a mistake. Can people describe what went wrong, ask for help, and challenge an assumption? Does the conversation lead to a change in the work? Those are more useful questions than how many courses employees have completed.
In The Mistakes That Make Us, I explore how leaders’ responses can help people learn—or make hiding a mistake seem safer. Building a learning culture means making that learning part of everyday work.
Start with how you respond to bad news
When someone tells you about a mistake, your first response matters. Thank them for bringing it forward. If someone could be harmed, address that immediate risk. Then ask what happened and what they need help with.
“How could you do that?” puts a person on the defensive. “Can you walk me through what happened?” gives you a better chance of understanding the work. The goal is to learn enough to prevent a repeat, not to find a more polite way to assign blame.
That is why psychological safety matters when people report mistakes. An open-door policy cannot compensate for a response that makes someone regret walking through the door.
Make your own learning visible
Leaders can go first. Describe a mistake you made, what you believed at the time, and what you changed after learning more. Include the part you are still trying to understand.
The point is not to perform humility or collect stories of failure. Admitting a mistake becomes more useful when others can see the follow-through. It also gives them a clearer example of what an honest conversation can sound like.
A book example: two mistakes, decades apart
In The Mistakes That Make Us, I share stories from Isao Yoshino’s career at Toyota. After a mistake early in his career, his manager responded: “Don’t worry. Mistakes can happen. You are just a beginner, and you did your best.”
Decades later, Yoshino led a boat business that failed. Then-chairman Fujio Cho acknowledged that both Yoshino and headquarters were new to that business. His response included, “We all make mistakes, particularly when we try something totally new.”
These examples matter because the constructive response extended beyond a beginner’s mistake. An experienced leader could also try something that did not work. The response left room to examine the experience without reducing the person to the result. You can read more in the Toyota learning-culture excerpt.
That does not make the loss unimportant. It changes the conversation we can have about it. What did the people involved understand at the time? What support did they have? What would they do differently? Those questions are more useful than assuming an unsuccessful outcome proves someone did not care.
Turn a conversation into a small test
A discussion can feel productive and still leave the work unchanged. Before ending it, agree on one change to try, who will help, and when you will look at the result.
For example, imagine a team repeatedly receiving incomplete handoffs. Another reminder to “communicate better” leaves a lot to interpretation. The team could test a clearer handoff format, check whether the receiving person has the information they need, and adjust it based on what happens. That is a hypothetical example, but the questions are practical: what do we predict, and what evidence will tell us whether the change helped?
Keep the test appropriate to the risk. Where an error could cause serious harm, use safeguards and review before changing the work. Mistake-proofing can make a task more reliable without relying on everyone remembering to be extra careful.
Give people time and support to improve
Inviting suggestions is easier than making room to act on them. Ask what prevents the team from trying an improvement: time, access to information, unclear authority, or help from another group. Work on that obstacle together.
Courses, coaching, and shared resources can help. But completing training is different from applying a lesson. Make time to practice, get feedback, and revise the approach. A useful question is, “What are we doing differently because of what we learned?”
Close the loop with the person who spoke up
Tell people what happened to the concern or idea they raised. If the proposed change will not go ahead, explain why and discuss another option. Silence after a suggestion can teach people that speaking up is not worth the effort.
Accountability belongs in this process. People can take responsibility for reporting a problem, contributing to the investigation, and following through on an agreed change. Leaders are responsible for the conditions that make those actions possible. Toyota’s learning culture offers examples of constructive responses without pretending an unsuccessful outcome did not matter.
Start with one recent mistake
Choose a recent problem with your team. Ask what was expected, what actually happened, and what made the difference. Agree on one action and a follow-up date. A learning culture becomes more credible when people see that a difficult conversation can lead to useful help and a better way to work.
Bring a useful conversation to your team
Start with a free preview of The Mistakes That Make Us. See how the book approaches learning, accountability, and improvement before deciding whether it is right for you.
Prefer to listen? Choose a My Favorite Mistake episode to discuss with your team. To explore these ideas together, bring Mark to your organization or event.