Editor’s note: “The Spoken Word” is shared by Lloyd Newell each Sunday during the weekly Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square broadcast. This will be given Feb. 16, 2020.
Most of us know what it’s like to be interviewed for a job, hoping our answers to questions impress a potential employer. Some of us have even been on the other side of the desk — asking the questions, trying to identify the right person to hire.
Walt Bettinger is the CEO of a large international company. He has interviewed hundreds of job applicants over the years. When he was asked how he decides who to hire, he explained that he’s most interested in the character of a potential employee. And how does he determine that from an interview? He said that he sometimes schedules interviews at a restaurant for breakfast. He goes early to the restaurant and asks the manager to make a mistake on the job applicant’s order, promising that he will leave a good tip for making the “mistake.” Bettinger wants to see how applicants respond to other people’s mistakes, how they deal with adversity. Do they become angry and frustrated, or are they understanding and patient?
That’s an important piece of information, because mistakes can happen in the workplace, just as they can happen over breakfast. Bettinger explains: “It’s just another way to get a look inside their heart rather than their head. We’re all going to make mistakes. The question is how are we going to recover when we make them, and are we going to be respectful to others when they make them?” (see “Walt Bettinger of Charles Sachwab: You’ve Got to Open Up to Move UP,” by Adam Bryant, New York Times, Feb. 4, 2016).
That’s an important life lesson — whether or not you’re looking for a job.
How we respond to mistakes says a lot about who we really are. You might say it offers a look inside our heart. Are we patient when others slip up? And just as important, how do we react to our own mistakes? Are we compassionate with ourselves? Do we bounce back and try again?
Mistakes, large and small, are part of life — we all make them. So instead of being surprised by mistakes, expect them. Respond with respect, patience, and resilience, not only to others but to ourselves as well. As we do, we’ll have a chance to look inside our heart, and we’ll like what we see.
Tuning in …
The “Music and the Spoken Word” broadcast is available on KSL-TV, KSL Radio 1160AM/102.7FM, ksl.com, BYU-TV, BYU Radio, Dish and DirectTV, SiriusXM Radio (Ch. 143), the tabernaclechoir.org, youtube.com/TheTabernacleChoiratTempleSquare and Amazon Alexa (must enable skill). The program is aired live on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on many of these outlets. Look up broadcast information by state and city at musicandthespokenword.org/schedules.
