See reader ratings and reviews on Amazon.com
As of October 17, 2023:
Prescription for Improving Healthcare and Preventing Harm
Healthcare leaders will benefit from reading this engaging and insightful book. The author’s humility and use of stories demonstrate our capacity to understand mistakes while working to prevent their causing serious harm can be achieved. Those leaders interested in improving psychological safety and a speak-up culture, and becoming a learning organization will be inspired. I place this book alongside others by authors such as Amy Edmondson, Edgar Schein, and Timothy R. Clark.
Mistakes are gold! This book shows how to mine the value in your own mistakes and others’
“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗨𝘀” – (clever title, BTW!) codifies my belief that mistakes are normal and leaders should not punish them. Further, the stories in this book confirm that some of the most successful people became more successful 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗥 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦! So, I really enjoyed this book in support of psychological safety, speaking up, and innovation.
Great Book! Never thought mistakes can looked upon this way!!
It is a great book; The author helps us think of mistakes/unpleasant experiences from a different perspective.
My top three takeaways are powerful statements from the book, which I am hoping to use in my life.
1. Iterate your understanding to replace assumption with clarity
2. Admit a mistake, and ask “What can we learn?”
3. Yelling at somebody doesn’t make them less likely to repeat the mistake
Long-Form Reviews
“The Mistakes That Make Us” by Mark Graban — Reader Views
“Eloquently written and organized like an accessible game plan … unequivocally a worthy blueprint whose recommendations are likely to transform anyone who gets their hands on it.”
Review by Christopher R. Chapman, “The Digestible Deming” Newsletter
“Despite the apparent weight of the topic, Mistakes that Make Us is a very approachable, light book that should be on the summer/fall reading list for any managers and leaders who are undertaking transformations.”
Review by Jack Vinson, “Knowledge Jolt”
“The theme that rang loud and clear was that even people who want to learn and grow will struggle in environments that punish or denigrate them for making (and admitting) errors. And those organizations will struggle to survive in the long term. Psychological Safety gets a lot of airplay in Mistakes that Make Us for good reason, as does systems thinking.”