To err is human, and sometimes when we realize we’ve goofed something bad at work, we find ourselves at a loss to how we should handle it. In many situations, you can correct your error or just forget about it and move on. Making a mistake at work, however, can be more serious. It can have a dire effect on your employer. Here are the steps you can take to pick up the pieces and limit the long term damage as much as possible.
1. Admit Your Mistake.
As soon as you discover that something went awry, immediately tell your boss. The only exception is, of course, if you make an insignificant error that will not affect anyone or if you can fix it before it does. Otherwise, don’t try to hide your mistake
2. Forgive Yourself.
Perfectionism is running rampant these days, but as much as people think it’s great to strive to achieve the ideal outcome in every situation, a tendency toward perfectionism is not a good thing. Forgive yourself. We all make mistakes sometimes. You’re only human, it turns out, so stop taking yourself to task over it.
3. Take Responsibility For It.
As hard as it is to forgive ourselves when we mess up, it is surprisingly almost equally hard to properly own up to our errors when we make them. But, bosses want you to take responsibility when you make a mistake. Hold your head high and be okay with the fact that you messed up, but at the same time, own it. Your boss will respect you for it.
4. Keep In Mind That The Ball Is In Your Court.
When you make a mistake at work, it’s important to remember that your bosses and co-workers will be paying extra close attention to you in the days and weeks following. Not because they’re worried you’ll make a mistake again, but rather because you can learn a lot about someone by how they handle difficulties.
5. Don’t Blame Others.
You shouldn’t take responsibility for things you didn’t do, but it’s never a good idea to throw someone else under the bus either. If other people are partially responsible for what went wrong, leave it to them to own up to their part. When apologizing for the mistake, discuss your actions only. Be clear and specific, but don’t bring other people into it.
6. Apologize But Don’t Beat Yourself Up.
There’s a big difference between admitting your mistake and beating yourself up about it. Take responsibility but don’t berate yourself for making it, especially in public. If you keep calling attention to your error, that is what will stick in people’s minds. You want your boss to focus on your actions after you made the mistake, not on the fact that it happened in the first place.
7. Present Your Boss With A Plan To Correct the Error.
There is one thing you should try to do before going to your boss, come up with a solution to rectify your mistake along with a few alternatives for her to consider. If you can’t come up with something quickly, go to your boss anyway, but reassure him that you are working on some solutions.
8. Fix It Yourself.
Carry out the hard work of correcting the error yourself as much as possible. Other people won’t mind the misstep nearly as much if it doesn’t put a whole lot of work on their plates. Minimizing the impact and the inconvenience of your foible will go a long way toward letting the whole thing blow over and becoming nothing more than a bad, distant memory.
9. Rebuild Your Boss’s Trust.
It also helps to go above and beyond with your work—even if you did that before—and make a few sacrifices to please the work gods. It might mean volunteering to do a job nobody likes to do, spending extra time on a task that needs to be done, or getting up to speed on a skill that’s difficult to master.
10. Move On.
Once you’ve done everything you can to own the problem and correct it, it’s time to let it go and move on. If you appear to have done just that, others will likely follow your lead. Project a confident, full-recovery from the mistake. Your energy and attitude will be infectious. Let it go, and move on. Others will be all to happy to follow suit.
