A mistake made once tells you about a task.

A mistake made three times tells you about a loop.

That distinction sounds like a technicality until you notice what it changes. The first is a training moment. The second is a systems failure with a person standing in the middle of it, taking the blame for a machine that was never built. And most executives spend months treating version two as version one — correcting the same error over and over, getting steadily more frustrated, and concluding they've hired someone who doesn't listen.

They usually haven't. They've built a loop that can't carry a correction.

What a working loop requires

Four things have to be true for a correction to stick. Miss any one and the error repeats no matter how clearly you explained it or how willing the person is.

1. The correction reaches them before the task repeats
2. It shows them the right version, not just the wrong one
3. It updates the rule, not just the instance
4. It lands somewhere that isn't memory