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Reader Challenge #4: Be Extra Nice to the Next Person Who Makes a Mistake

We've all had an experience where somebody made a mistake. A waiter brings out a pizza that clearly that doesn't have the right toppings. A clerk gets us an article of clothing that is the wrong size. A family member picks up the wrong brand of something at the grocery store. (That last one is usually me doing the screwing up!)

Life happens. Mistakes are made. Most of the time, those mistakes aren't made intentionally, so why do we tend to get angry at these people? It baffles me because the person didn't have ill intentions, yet we feel it necessary to retaliate against them. I know when I make a mistake, I already feel bad for having made that mistake. Getting angry only makes that person feel doubly bad.

 So instead of getting angry at that person, my challenge to you this week is to do the opposite: be nice to them. I'll take it a step further and encourage you be extra nice to them. This helps to establish what Michael Scott would refer to as a win-win-WIN situation. Allow me to explain:

  • The first win: It makes the person who made a mistake feel better. They know they screwed up, so it's nice that somebody is cutting them a break.
  • The second win: It makes you feel better. You chose to take the moral high ground, and you should feel a little sense of pride that you made somebody's day brighter.
  • The third win: It helps those after you. This might not occur to you right away, but you're setting a precedent for those who made a mistake. If you choose to retaliate against the "mistaker", then that person is more apt to be bummed out for the rest of the day, causing lesser productivity or lesser quality work. It screws over the people coming after you. Conversely, if you make the "mistaker's" day a little brighter by being extra nice to them, they are more likely to have an upbeat day, increasing their productivity and higher quality of work. And that helps out the people coming after you. Yay!
For me, personally, I find that it takes more energy to get angry. It really doesn't help anything or anybody to get angry. So just be nice. It's the right thing to do.
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