Jacobs Journal: My biggest mistake
1 Dec, 2008 By: Daniel G. Jacobs Landscape ManagementWe had just been struck by one of those rare, intense Mid-western snowstorms. Ice coated everything 2-in. thick. It was an adult's nightmare and a child's dream. Everything was quiet. No school, no cars, just a world of crystal glistening in the morning sun.
 Daniel G. Jacobs |
My best friend Brian and I spent the afternoon sliding down his neighbor's sloped driveway. We were only 9 years old, but those were the days when most kids spent all day outside without parental supervision. You came home at dark or dinnertime — whichever came first.
After many successful runs, Brian took off head first on his sled, down the driveway, out into the street. I'm not sure Brian ever saw the car coming, and there was nothing I could do to stop it from hitting him. I remember seeing Brian's body spin across the road, coming to rest limp by the curb, a pool of blood forming near his head.
I ran to his mother's house. She and the driver frantically yet carefully put Brian in the man's car and drove him to a hospital. I think I walked home after that.
Brian was in a coma for three days. Thankfully, he awoke and somehow suffered no ill effects.
Sledding into the street was my biggest mistake, and it nearly cost a life. I can't fully know how that mistake impacted Brian's or his parents' lives. I'm not even sure I ever contemplated how that day affected the poor man that hit Brian until I wrote this column. The driver did nothing wrong, but I'm sure he felt horrible.
I've made many mistakes since then, and I'm sure there will be many more to come. Hopefully none will be so serious.
The mistakes we make in business usually aren't life threatening. But a recent report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that between 2003 and 2006, a landscaper died from injuries sustained on the job, on average, every two days.
Even non-fatal mistakes can have a profound effect on the lives of our employees, families and customers. Mistakes happen. How well we minimize their negative impact and learn from them can determine our success or failure.
As we head to 2009, I'd like to hear about the biggest mistake you've made in your business, what you learned from it and what you did to resolve the issue and to ensure the same thing never happens again.
Let's share our toughest lessons so we can keep each other from sledding into the street.
Contact Dan at 216/706-3754 or e-mail at
djacobs@questex.com
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