FOCUS ANYONE?
When you run a business, specifically a law firm, you expect focus to detail. Get the small stuff right the rest will follow as some say. Maybe it was the first day of a new year, too much fun on New Years Eve, or just the fact of returning to the office after a break. However, yesterday, while sitting in court, I looked down at a letter that we had sent to opposing counsel and there in the subject line was the listing for the wrong court. Oh, I’m ok, I had sent another notice letter out but it still bugged me. I had just about forgotten the letter, when I received a motion from a co-counsel of mine from another firm. Reading over the document, I noticed it listed the right court but the wrong county. Was something in the water? Birds were dropping from the sky in places.
In Why We Make Mistakes, Joseph T. Hallinan explains the science of human error and accounts for mistakes such as these. He discovers that some of the same qualities that make us efficient also make us error prone. We learn to move rapidly through the world, quickly recognize patterns but overlook details. He also explains that Organizations that understand that people will make mistakes and then do something to manage and minimize those mistakes are more likely to succeed. Are you managing your mistakes???
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