Learn from other people’s mistakes#

“It is necessary for us to learn from others’ mistakes. You will not live long enough to make them all yourself.” — Hyman George Rickover

Today’s air safety record is built on the mistakes of others and the accident investigations that followed them. You can improve your own competence the same way: by understanding the mistakes other people have already made, so you don’t have to repeat them yourself.

Some good sources to research:

• Accident and incident reports (available in many fields).
• Books, magazines, and reputable websites.
• Discussions with experienced people in your field.
• Biographies of individuals and companies.

Some of the best accident reports come from aviation, and many highlight mistakes that people in completely different fields could make. The lessons travel.

Take one example. A passenger aircraft crashed into a Florida swamp in December 1972. The entire flight crew of three was focused on a faulty undercarriage light in the cockpit. Everyone assumed the plane was on autopilot, and nobody noticed it slowly descend into the swamp. It’s a stark lesson in the danger of fixating on one small problem while losing sight of the bigger picture.

As you read about the mistakes others have made — in your field and outside it — hold your own training up against them. Could you make a similar slip? Jot down a reminder or a quick check for yourself to make it less likely.

Finally, try replaying someone else’s mistake in a simulation or visualisation : recreate the circumstances that led to it, and ask what you would do differently.