Spring 2021

On Ethics
The Unnatural But Ethical Act of Admitting Mistakes

By Rebecca Bowman, P.E., Esq.

Various philosophers and grandmothers have reminded us that the only way to avoid mistakes is to do nothing. Since we are not doing nothing, we will make mistakes. Consequently, we have to examine the mistakes we make as learning opportunities—opportunities to learn where we went awry—as well as accept personal responsibility.

In the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers, the eighth professional obligation (III.8) states, “Engineers shall accept personal responsibility for their professional activities, provided, however, that engineers may seek indemnification for services arising out of their practice for other than gross negligence, where the engineer’s interest cannot otherwise be protected.”

In our business, learning where we went awry is called forensic engineering. As PEs, we are called to continually examine our assumptions, to diligently watch for deviations from expectations and other warning signs, and to continually dissect our problems and mistakes. Arrogant confidence that “I know that I have considered everything” frequently shifts to the humbling discovery that, in fact, something was missed. All problems and all mistakes contain at least one faulty assumption and at least one lesson to be learned so that that problem or mistake doesn’t happen again.

When my grandson visited recently, he broke something. He came to me quickly and fessed up. We sat down and talked about how his speedy acknowledgement of his mistake did not eliminate the consequences, but that his speedy acknowledgement did prevent the problem from getting bigger. He is only three, but the same principal holds for us. The sooner we recognize and identify a problem or mistake, the sooner it can be addressed. However, more importantly, the sooner we recognize and identify a problem or mistake, the more limited the scope of the implications.

Problems almost never go away, or even shrink, if we ignore them. Problems tend to take root and grow if we try to bury them. Problems cannot be appropriately addressed if the responsible source has attempted to conceal, to delay discovery, or to transfer attention to someone else.

Much of my work is in residential, commercial, and light industrial construction, so that’s the arena of the example I will share. I realize that I specified a wrongly positioned opening for framing a second-floor window. If I discover and address my error

• During basement excavation…no cost or time implications;
• During first-floor framing…slight error in the framing order, but no time implications and likely only nominal cost implications;
• After second-floor framing is complete…small time and cost implications to correct;
• After dry-walling or plastering…potentially modest to significant time and cost implications;
• After putting up the expensive, imported, silk wallpaper…potentially significant lead time and cost for replacement paper (if available) and significant bad feelings from the client; and
• After certificate of occupancy and error discovered by client…all detriments are magnified.

Worse, if I discover and fail to address my error and am “found out,” my client will—quite justifiably—not trust me in any regard.

Professional obligation III.8 faces those realities head-on: “Engineers shall accept personal responsibility for their professional activities.” This simple statement reminds us all that ignoring, burying, concealing, delaying discovery, and transferring attention are all inconsistent with that ethical standard. And, as I discussed with my grandson, knowing of the problem or mistake and waiting to acknowledge it until we get caught is also inconsistent with the ethical standard.

None of us enjoys taking personal responsibility. It’s simply not a pleasant experience. None of us is proud of making mistakes or causing problems. I think that normal human responses are to ignore, hide, and bluster through. The obligation laid out in III.8 requires that we do something unnatural: take a deep breath, square our shoulders, and step forward.

As a profession, as employers, and as individual practitioners, we need to foster an environment that encourages early discovery, identification, and acknowledgement of a problem and a quick initiation of forensic examination. The sooner a problem is identified, the narrower the range of consequences and the narrower the range of affected parties. The sooner a problem is dealt with, the fewer the ramifications, both financial and personal.

Standards of ethical behavior in general, and III.8 in particular, require of us behavior that does not come naturally to the species. Being extraordinarily diligent about self-governance and self-discipline in our professional lives is, in its own right, extraordinary.

Rebecca Bowman, P.E., Esq., is NSPE’s senior director for ethics and professional practice.