How Rescuing People Hurts Them

In business, it sometimes happens that someone is required to perform a task that’s beyond their capability. While it might seem like the entrepreneur or team leader should step in and help in such a case, doing so can actually get in the way of the individual and the team growing their capabilities. In this episode, Dan Sullivan shares a way to handle failures that will benefit the future of the entire organization.

Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:

• How to turn every failure into an organizational lesson.
• How to avoid making someone feel like a scapegoat.
• Why people who rescue others are not well liked by those they rescue.
• The best questions to ask team members following a failed project.

Show Notes:

Nothing worthless: No experience is worthless, even if it’s painful.

What was good: If people voice what went well about a project, the person who was perceived as failing will be more willing to be truthful about their performance.

Ask for help: After failing, a team member will often learn that they just need to say they need help next time.

Somebody’s fault: When someone is blamed for failing at a task, and someone else does it for them, the person failing is denied a learning experience.

Don’t do it: If you don’t want to become known for doing something, just don’t do it.

Organizational issue: When there’s individual failure, it’s usually an organizational issue.

Lost the future: If everyone’s protecting themselves from getting blamed or criticized, you’ve lost the future of the organization.

Know winning: You don’t know what winning is until you’ve had a complete, unfiltered experience of losing.