Thomas J. Watson Sr.: "We Forgive Thoughtful Mistakes"

"THINK" and Thoughtful Mistakes Will Be Forgiven

This was a speech given by Thomas J. Watson Sr. on February 12, 1930 at a meeting of executives and later published in Business Machines, IBM's corporate newspaper.

"We have a motto, 'We Forgive Thoughtful Mis­takes.' If a man told me that he had thought a thing over and gave me his reason for doing it, I do not care how wrong it might be, I would never criticize him, because he had done his best—he had put thought into it.

​"But if a man tells me that he did not think I do not like it. I do not like to overlook mistakes of that kind, because a man should think. I do not want you to interpret this as coming from me merely in the interests of the IBM. I want you to feel that I have talked to you for your own good as individuals be­cause that is my intention. We cannot hope to build this business unless we build the individuals in it.

​"If you can take what I have said as my contribution to your personal success, I will feel that I have accomplished a great deal in coming up here to talk to you."​

"Executive Meeting," Thomas J. Watson Sr., 1930

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