Three types of mistakes
February 23rd, 2005I used to believe there were two kinds of mistakes: stupid and honest. You can usually tell when someone makes a stupid mistake by how defensive they are about it. The dumber the mistake, the bigger the cover up. Less so with honest mistakes. We can usually all pretty much agree on where honest stops and stupid takes over.
I hear what you’re thinking, “what does Mike know about mistakes?” HA! I make ‘em all the time, and actually enjoy some! In fact, this blog may be one of my bigger ones.
Now everyone knows you should learn from your mistakes, both stupid and honest; and even better, those of others. But it’s only been lately that I realized there is a third kind of mistake; the fake mistake. And it’s the worst of all. You can usually tell when someone makes a fake mistake because they won’t even acknowledge the mistake when it’s obviously pointed out to them.
The fake mistake is one generated as part of a scheme. A mean to an end. Unlike an honest mistake, where you try something new using your best judgement and things go awry, the fake mistake is created for the advantage of a limited amount of people, usually involving greed. Calculated bankruptcy is an example.
Unlike stupid mistakes, when you’re caught making a fake mistake, you still come out ahead. Sort of like a scoundrel paying a fine for some unscrupulous activity, yet admitting no guilt. You know, when they benefit by a million dollars and pay a fine of $75,000.
Fake mistakes flew under my radar for so long because they used to be smaller and kept better hidden. I simply thought of them as dumb mistakes by a few slimy businessmen and politicians. But the overwhelming success of fake mistakes has caused a marketing explosion of bigger, better mistakes that go unmatched in world history. It is an interesting fad to keep up on. At least I hope it’s a fad. Unless tort reform further neglects such fashionable faux pas.
BTW, Okiedoke is not a fake mistake. It’s an honest one. How you might define the act of reading this blog on the other hand…
February 23rd, 2005 at 3:45 pm
You may have coined a new catch phrase. When everyone starts using it I can say I heard it first on Okiedoke.com. It’ll kind of be like I knew him when . . . .
February 23rd, 2005 at 6:40 pm
Amen to the fad of fake mistakes…
But Okiedoke, I wasn’t sure what you meant about tort reform? Are liability lawsuits fake mistakes, or is tort reform itself a fake, do you think?
February 23rd, 2005 at 7:42 pm
I meant to imply that the impetus of tort-reform seems to be toward reducing liability of fake mistakes. Most everyone agrees that tort-reform is appropriate for honest mistakes, but limiting liability for stupid and fake ones will only accelerate the problem.