When writing or speaking, I use the words “mistake” and “error” interchangeably. The definitions in some dictionaries are comically circular.
Dictionary.com defines an error as:
“a deviation from accuracy or correctness; a MISTAKE, as in action or speech.”
It also defines a mistake as:
“an ERROR in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.”
So, a mistake is an error, and an error is a mistake.
via GIPHY
It doesn’t matter what they’re called. What matters is working to prevent mistakes… and learning from them when they occur.
The Blame Game: Mistakes vs. Errors
Some people say that saying “mistake” is inherently a more blame-based term than “error.” They argue that “mistake” implies personal fault, while “error” suggests a more neutral, technical fault.
I disagree. Again, I think the words are synonyms, a view shared by Prof. John Grout, an expert on mistakes and mistake-proofing (and one of my instructors), as we discussed in this episode of my Lean podcast and an episode of “My Favorite Mistake.”
This distinction often leads to debates over semantics rather than focusing on the real issue: how we respond to and learn from these events.
As I wrote about in The Mistakes That Make Us, what truly matters is how we handle mistakes, errors, or incidents — not the label we attach to them. No matter what we call them, our goal should be to foster and cultivate a culture where people feel safe to admit and learn from them. As I wrote, all mistakes are unintentional by definition:
“Mistakes are actions or judgments that turn out to be misguided or wrong. We believe we are making the right decision at the time but eventually discover it was wrong, whether seconds or years later.”
Shifting from Blame to Learning
Leaders and organizations have a choice:
cultivate a culture of fear and punishment or a
culture of learning and innovation.
It’s really a spectrum between those two options, not a sharp binary divide of either/or. To what extent are you cultivating an active culture of learning and innovation (or even just improvement)?
A culture of fear drives mistakes underground, preventing learning and improvement. Conversely, a culture that views mistakes as opportunities for growth can lead to better outcomes over time. I wrote:
“A culture of learning from mistakes brings many benefits including higher employee engagement, lower turnover, more improvement, and greater innovation. It’s about better results–as individuals, teams, and organizations.”
The Power of Language: Incidents and Accidents
The late Paul O’Neill, the former CEO of Alcoa and U.S. Treasury Secretary, thought words mattered greatly in working collaboratively toward Zero Harm. As quoted in this book of collected speech transcripts, O’Neill said:
“It was necessary to change the language. Still, at a lot of places, people talk about accidents. If you think about it, the phrase that goes with accidents is, “We couldn’t help it. God must have intended us to be hurt. Nobody wanted it. Nobody planned it. Nobody intended it but we have accidents.”
I said, “No, no. We’re not going to have any accidents at Alcoa. We’re going to have incidents.” The word “incidents” gives you intellectual permission to figure out what went wrong. How can we make sure it never happens again anywhere?”
Most importantly, O’Neill was leading the culture change — to make it safe for people to speak up about risks and injuries in the name of solving the underlying root causes instead of blaming or punishing people.
Psychological Safety: The Foundation for Learning
Creating a culture that encourages learning from mistakes requires psychological safety. Harvard professor Amy Edmondson defines psychological safety as a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. This belief is crucial for cultivating an environment where people feel safe to admit and learn from their errors. Edmondson explains:
“Leaders who openly share their mistakes create an environment where others feel safe and willing to do the same. When an employee admits a mistake, they quickly learn how well their organization tolerates it or better yet, welcomes it.”
Embracing Mistakes: A Path to Growth
Ultimately, embracing mistakes as a natural part of the learning process can transform an organization. When leaders model this behavior and respond to mistakes with kindness and a focus on improvement, it sets a powerful example. As you can read about in The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, this approach leads to more engaged employees, better problem-solving, and a stronger, more resilient organization.
In conclusion, whether we call them mistakes, errors, incidents, or accidents, the key is cultivating a culture that views these events as opportunities for learning and growth. By doing so, we can create environments where people feel safe to innovate, experiment, and continuously improve.
My New Mistake-Proofing Course
I discuss the language and these dynamics, and more, in my new online Mistake-Proofing course that’s hosted at TKMG Academy.
Here’s my recent blog post about it:
You can buy the course individually at TKMGAcademy.com for $129. Volume discounts are available for large teams or your entire workforce (for more information, email info@tkmgacademy.com).
The course is also part of the wonderful collection of courses in the all-access annual subscription. The annual price of $529 goes up significantly at 11:59 pm CDT on May 31st, so act now for the best value pricing.
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Check out my latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation:
