In 1999, in my first job after the Navy, I made a huge mistake while teaching a workshop: I told a joke.
It wasn’t a dirty joke. It was actually pretty innocent:
“Last night I dreamed I died and went to heaven. St. Peter walked me around heaven. We went into a big building where there were thousands of clocks. Peter told me that each of the clocks were tied to people on earth. When they sinned, the hands of the clocks turned. I then asked where one of my coworkers in HR was (she was in attendance and I thought we had a good relationship) and Peter said we keep her clock in the kitchen and use it as a fan.”
She complained. I got counseled. I learned NEVER to tell a joke in a training session or a talk. You can use humor if appropriate, but don’t tell a joke. I learned from my mistake.
In September, 1944, the United States Marines invaded the island of Peleliu. It’s strategic value was dubious, but at the insistence of General Douglas MacArthur (who had a personal mission of making good on his promise to the people of the Philippines, that “he would return,”) Peleliu needed to be taken. It was a bloodbath. The Japanese defenders adopted a new strategy of building bunkers into the mountains, luring the Marines into numerous traps. The island was eventually taken, but at the cost of nearly 10,000 Marine casualties.
25 years later, in May of 1969, U.S. Army forces were directed to take Hill 937 in central Vietnam. Like Peleliu, the hill had no strategic significance but the powers that be insisted it be taken. Much like the Japanese of Peleliu, the Viet Cong had fortified caves and built bunkers into the mountain. The U.S. forces took what would be known as “Hamburger Hill” during the ten-day battle at significant loss: 72 killed and 372 wounded. The Viet Cong adopted the same defensive strategy the Japanese used but for some reason, we forgot the mistakes we made on Peleliu and played right into the Viet Cong’s hands. Ironically, once conquered, “Hamburger Hill” was soon abandoned.
Mistakes happen. But the same mistake should never be repeated. If you learn from those mistakes, good for you. I learned that humor, if it naturally happens, can make a boring presentation a bit more tolerable. Jokes however, have a 50/50 chance of offending someone. Military mistakes, based on hubris or frustration tend to repeat themselves.
I don’t enjoy making mistakes and I’m sure you don’t either. They happen. How we learn from them is up to us.
This week, why not make a mental note of some of your “greatest hits of mistakes.” What did you learn? How have you avoided those same mistakes.