Recognize This! – We all make mistakes. What we do to fix them has far reaching effects on more than just the error.
What do you do when you mess up at work? The gamut of responses runs from “lie and hide” to “sweep it under the rug and hope no one notices” to “confess and fix.”
That’s always been my motto – in work and life. If you mess up, ‘fess up. Then offer first a clean-up plan, and then ideas to make sure it never happens again.
We’re all human. We will all make mistakes at work. Sometimes, those “mistakes” turn into a
highly profitable innovation, but often mistakes are just that – errors in judgment or execution requiring rectification. It’s how we deal with the mistakes – as both the perpetrator and the person in charge – that contributes to the tone of your
organizational culture.
I was honoured to participate in a recent
Investor’s Business Daily article on just this topic,
“Turn A Workplace Blunder Into A Moment To Shine,” in which I offered these two points of advice (quoting):
Be sure to
read the full IBD article for more tips including “take responsibility” and “get in front.” Then come back and share in comments how you best deal with mistakes at work.