Making a mistake does not make you an idiot

Everyone makes mistakes. But it seems that everyone is also obsessed with making sure no one knows about them. Maybe it's time to take responsibility and earn respect. 

The Latin term mea culpa"means "through my fault." I have looked this term up online and I found it in my trusty hardcover Webster's dictionary. Nowhere did I see the term translated as, "I'm an idiot." Yet, that's what most people think will be inferred by others when they speak those words or any of their brethren like, "Sorry about that" or "I made a mistake."

Trust me when I tell you that many employees share this erroneous mindset (and you know who you are). Admitting fault is not a public acknowledgment that you are a worthless human being and should be fired immediately. Apologizing for an action you took that caused a problem for a coworker does not make you the office weakling and brand you with a scarlet letter. Making mistakes makes you human, and owning up to them earns you respect and maybe even renders you endearing.

However, never admitting responsibility for a mistake is an acknowledgment that you value your own "image" more than you do the welfare of your company. I wouldn't want you working for me.

If people spent as much time and energy acknowledging their mistakes as they do justifying their bad decisions and figuring out how to dodge responsibility, the world would be a much more productive place. You can be sure that the people who are unwilling to own up to their mistakes are the same ones who don't learn from those mistakes. And thus we have a never-ending cycle of denial and repeat.

I've started to see whole groups of people attempt to disguise responsibility as an entity unto itself. My pet peeve is the phrase, "Mistakes were made." As if the mistakes just formed out of mid-air with no human hand involved.

Speaking of that horrid phrase, two social psychologists, Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson look into how the brain is wired for self-justification in the book, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts. Their observation is that we create fictions to absolve ourselves of any responsibility, "restoring our belief that we are smart, moral, and right-a belief that often keeps us on a course that is dumb, immoral, and wrong."

Maybe we should all take a look at that book.

Do you find yourself justifying mistakes at work? Have you ever owned up a to a mistake and were you burned at the stake for it?

Learning to let go: How to delegate effectively

While letting go may be uncomfortable to managers at first, here's a delegation dilemma plan that teaches you how and when to exercise your delegation muscles. 

Learning to delegate is a skill that I, myself, am still trying to learn. It’s not that I don’t think others can do things as well as I do, it’s that I don’t think they can do things as quickly as I need them to. Taking time out to explain how to do something just adds to the timeline.

This is an attitude I need to fix, however. Delegation is a critical skill, according toProfessionalismMatters, Inc. founder Dana Brownlee. Yet, it’s completely underutilized in the workplace.

Brownlee has found through her experiences that most leaders don’t delegate because of an emotional barrier to fear of losing control which actually ends up costing leaders more long-term. In the end, these kinds of leaders rob employees of the ability to enhance skills, communicate a lack of mistrust to others, and foster the “perfection” disease).

While “letting go” may be uncomfortable at first, Brownlee has developed a “delegation dilemma plan” that teaches leaders how and when to exercise their delegation muscles. Here are some of her tips:

1. Start small. Don’t delegate something that is mission critical. Delegate something small (initially) and work your way up to delegating larger, more important tasks.
2. Seek the right fit. Everything shouldn’t be on the table for delegation not just because of the importance of the task but also because some tasks are a better fit for the particular person you’re delegating to than others. This doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t stretch to develop new skills, but look for areas where they have unique ability, interest, or insight if possible. Maybe they’re a skilled web developer but never presented a new website to a client. This task, while new for them, pulls on their natural strengths as well and provides them a “confidence cushion,” so to speak.
3. Don’t have unrealistic expectations – encourage them to put their unique footprint on the task. Remember that there is a difference between someone doing something “wrong” and them not doing it the way we would have done it. Style differences are just that. If they prefer circle bullets, and you prefer squares, keep it to yourself!
4. Ask the recipient what level of support/communication they want. Everyone hates the micromanager who “half delegates”. Avoid this by asking them how often they want to check in with you, etc. If they propose a timetable that doesn’t provide enough feedback in your mind, ask if you can check in more frequently initially and then reduce the frequency as the task progresses.
5. Reward effort and results. In order for others to truly learn, they need to feel that it’s OK to make mistakes. Indeed in a learning environment, effort is as important as results. If they’re stretching their abilities and trying new things, that in itself is an achievement and should be acknowledged. With increased confidence comes better results so don’t focus on results exclusively. If you’ve now conquered your fears of losing control, you must begin to help them conquer their fears as well.

Six lines your boss should never cross

A list of six ways you can tell if your boss has crossed the line of professional behavior. 

The employment experts at Allison & Taylor have offered some great tips for knowing whether your boss has crossed the line of professional behavior. 

According to Allison & Taylor, your boss is crossing the line if he or she:

1. Makes references to your salary in front of other staff. This is private and confidential information, not public knowledge. Other employees don't need to know what you're being paid, and it's true regardless of the type of comment that's made. Whether the boss is saying, "I don't pay you enough" or "I pay you too much," this type of comment will lead to resentment among staff members. Broadcasting your earnings undermines your position with the rest of the staff. They'll either think you're willing to work for peanuts, ruining their chances of earning more, or think that you're overpaid.

2. Reprimands you in front of other employees. This is a form of bullying, and it's never acceptable. While you may have made a mistake or error that deserves discussion, a good employer will handle this professionally -- and in private. A good boss should never denigrate your skills, either, with comments like, "This job is so easy, anyone could do it." 

3. Has unreasonable expectations. Managers need to communicate their expectations for work performance clearly, assist employees when needed, and set reasonable deadlines for projects. This one can be tricky... at times every employee has probably felt that he or she has been dealt an impossible task. But if you're consistently receiving unreasonable demands, you need to speak up. It could be a communication issue; perhaps something as simple as unclear directions are bogging you down. Or it could be a case of micromanagement (in which case, you were hired because the boss felt you were qualified to do your job, and it's fine to remind him or her to let you do it). Just be sure you address it in a courteous and nonconfrontational manner. 

4. Shares too many personal details. This is a work situation, not the therapist's couch. A good boss shouldn't share problems or inappropriate personal details. If you find the conversation often veers in this direction, lead the way by being very brief in your responses and then change the subject back to business. And don't bring your own problems to the office. 

5. Makes inappropriate references. Any comment that makes you squirm is one that shouldn't have been made in the office. This includes water cooler jokes, emails, or comments about your physical appearance. Include in this category any type of implication that the boss is interested in a relationship of a personal nature, even if it's not something you're entirely opposed to. Workplace romances are NEVER a good idea, and it's beyond unprofessional to even make the suggestion. All these things are a sexual harassmentlawsuit waiting to happen. 

6. Implies that sex, race, age, sexual orientation, or religion is a factor in work performance. None of these things have anything to do with your ability to do the job you were hired to do. The suggestion that it might is not only unfair, it's discriminatory. Address any such implication immediately.

If you find that you're experiencing one or more of these problems with regularity, you need to speak to your boss about your discomfort. This isn't always an easy thing to do, but it's necessary to maintain a professional working relationship. Keep in mind that he or she may not even be aware that it is bothering you. The key is to open up a dialogue that can deal with the issues. 

Approach your boss in a free, calm moment, and let him or her know that you feel there are some issues that need to be addressed. Then calmly discuss the issues in an open and honest manner. And always keep in mind that having respect for yourself and your needs will allow the boss to see you're there to do your best work. If discussing with your boss does not change things for the better, then consider going up the chain of command or to HR for help.

The 25 highest paying U.S. companies for software engineers

Glassdoor has just released a report on the 25 highest paying U.S. companies for software engineers and a comparison of major U.S. metros for software engineer salary and number of employers hiring in each region. 

Glassdoor, a jobs community focused on greater workplace transparency, has released its newest report on the 25 Highest Paying Companies for Software Engineers. Glassdoor’s report also includes a comparison of major U.S. metros for software engineer salary and number of employers hiring in each region.

Here are the companies that pay software engineers the highest salaries:

Here’s a comparison of how major U.S. cities compare for salary of software engineers: