Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the danger of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of "crackpot" than the stigma of conformity.
Thomas J. WatsonRead
Recently, I was asked if I was going to fire an employee who made a mistake that cost the company $600,000. No, I replied, I just spent $600,000 training him. Why would I want somebody to hire his experience?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Mistakes are learning opportunities, and firing someone who has been invested in can squander that growth.
In this quote, Thomas J. Watson emphasizes the importance of valuing the investment made in training an employee, even when they make costly mistakes. Instead of viewing the error solely in monetary terms, he suggests that such experiences provide invaluable lessons that contribute to an employee's development and future contributions to the organization.
Themes
MistakesLearningInvestmentLeadershipEmployee Development
In practice
Example use cases
During a leadership training session to illustrate the value of employee development.
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Every time we've moved ahead in IBM, it was because someone was willing to take a chance, put his head on the block, and try something new.
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