--- title: "Friday Buzz: Recovering from a Major Mistake" id: "37866" type: "post" slug: "friday-buzz-recovering-from-a-major-mistake" published_at: "2017-04-21T21:00:03+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T19:14:24+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/04/21/friday-buzz-recovering-from-a-major-mistake/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/04/21/friday-buzz-recovering-from-a-major-mistake.md" excerpt: "Moving past a big work blunder isn’t easy, but there are a few key ways you can avoid making the same mistake. Also: Why you no longer have to feel awkward when you use the word \"millennial.\"" taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Leadership" - "Meetings" - "productivity" - "Workplace" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Friday Buzz: Recovering from a Major Mistake After a major mistake at work, finding a way forward can be painful. And many bosses become frantic in their search for the root of the problem. *Fortune* writer Nat Greene contends that [leaders move too quickly in their haste to find out what went wrong (opens in a new tab)](http://fortune.com/2017/04/20/leadership-career-advice-work-professional-mistake-setback/) , which may prevent them from repeating this mistake in the future. Take the postmortem meeting, for example. By now, you’ve likely participated in these debriefing meetings after membership goals weren’t hit or major campaigns failed to meet targets. Greene says to nix those sessions altogether. “… Such an exercise is often a collection of guesses about what the root cause might have been,” writes Greene. “When people bring their own biases and assumptions into the group’s understanding of the setback, the approach can lead you astray.” Instead, start analyzing the setback by determining which parts of the problem are under your control and which parts are not. It’s natural to place the blame on external problems, but you’ll keep repeating failures if you don’t examine what you can control. ### Millennials Reclaim “Millennial” > Reclaiming the word [#millennial (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/millennial?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > and why [@buzzfeed (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/BuzzFeed?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > is okay with using it | [@CJR (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/CJR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/RQRwzPNikZ (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/RQRwzPNikZ) > > — News/Media Alliance (@newsalliance) [April 17, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/newsalliance/status/853995718108950528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **At some point, we’ve all cringed** when using the word “millennial” as a stand-in for all 20-somethings and 30-somethings. But if any publication could make us feel a little better about using this word, it’s *BuzzFeed*. The popular website has [officially given the OK to use the word (opens in a new tab)](https://www.cjr.org/analysis/buzzfeed-millennial.php) in a piece jointly published in the *Columbia Journalism Review*. *BuzzFeed* once banned the use of the word in its editorial guidelines (except for in very specific circumstances). But the ubiquitous use of the word, from the very generation itself, has caused *BuzzFeed* to acknowledge that “millennial” has gone from a “cheesy marketing buzzword” to “just another everyday descriptive word in our vernacular.” ### Other Links of Note **More effective meetings.** Wild Apricot shares ways to find [better speakers for your next event (opens in a new tab)](https://www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/2017/04/21/find-a-speaker-for-association-events) . **Digital relationships.** Thinking about trying influencer marketing? Hootsuite provides a [thorough guide to follow (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.hootsuite.com/influencer-marketing/) . **Keep it simple.**TapFuse, a software company, argues for [minimal tech usage at your next meeting (opens in a new tab)](https://medium.com/talking-event-tech/why-less-is-more-when-it-comes-to-event-technology-bfa25385caaa) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#productivity](https://associationsnow.com/tag/productivity/) [#Workplace](https://associationsnow.com/tag/workplace/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [Video2026 Summit Awards DinnerOctober 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/02/2026-summit-awards-dinner/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) - [VideoMelvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, Welcomes You to Great Ideas 2026September 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/02/melvin-tennant-cae-president-ceo-of-meet-minneapolis-welcomes-you-to-great-ideas-2026/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F04%2F21%2Ffriday-buzz-recovering-from-a-major-mistake%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !