Little Miss Steaks? Innovation and Listening Skills

Have you ever tried to finish an Elton John song and done so without botching a single lyric? Unless you’re my mother, the answer is probably no. Elton John is one of the most misquoted artists of his time, his Almost Famous anthem often converted to “hold me closer, Tony Danza,” and “Benny and the Jets” becomes a completely unintelligible tune when sung over a bar jukebox. Today’s word of the day is mondegreen–whether you knew it or not, there IS a term for that time you completely screwed up the refrain to “Purple Haze.”

If you’re like me, you’re generally unconcerned with what the real lyrics are so long as the music’s louder than you are. Oftentimes, it’s simply amusing to play with different permutations; I’m sure Bon Jovi would appreciate his new hit single, “Livin’ with a Bear.” The best part is when you find that your mondegreen-ed understanding of a particular song converges with another’s, and you’re both shouting about decking the halls with Buddy Holly. Wayfarers will always be in style, people. Embrace it.

Whether we believe it or not, mistakes breed innovation. Slicing potatoes too thin before they were fried paved the way for the Lays enterprise. Having that one kid’s peanut butter get all over the other kid’s chocolate paved the way for Reese’s. (Is it obvious that I’m hungry yet?) It’s easy to believe that screwing up is the end of the line, especially when it comes to our work, but a mistake actually provides a fork in the road, not a dead end. A mistake allows us to decide if we scrub the entire project, process and all, or if we go forward and try to turn a negative into a positive. If we are innovative enough to make our mistakes solutions, we can save a lot of face with regards to client work, and save ourselves a lot of time and money having to start over.

One caveat. If mistakes can be thwarted, they should be. As funny as it may be to mishear lyrics and make up new songs, failing to listen correctly and thoroughly to your client will definitely hurt you in the long run, no matter how clever you may be in the recovery phase. Listening is a lost art, unfortunately, but it is crucial to a consultant. Take time to fact check and recap to make sure you have heard them correctly when they are stating problem details. They will appreciate that you’ve taken the time to ascertain the issues they have at hand, and you will be able to have all pertinent information to move forward.

Mistakes are not the end of the world; in fact, they can pave the way for newer, cleverer solutions that may have remained otherwise unearthed. That being said, should you have the opportunity to avoid making them by listening more carefully, listen closely and verify. The key here is to open both your ears and your brain to your client’s issues.

Until then, “I’ve got 99 problems but chocolate chips ain’t one.”

To our readers: when have you taken a mistake and turned it into a solution?