Don’t Worry: That Mistake You Made Is (Probably) Not Fatal

It’s inevitable.

You will step in it big time. Screw up. Trip, choke, blow it completely. Regardless of your preferred euphemism, regardless if you currently occupy the corporate ladder’s lowest rung or its highest, you will make a mistake at work. Maybe even a serious one. Maybe one that knocks you down hard or even gets you canned.

But this is also true: you can come back from it. Redemption is possible. With only a very few exceptions – mostly of the illegal or unethical variety – your professional life as you know it is far from over.

In fact, this truism leads to another: you have every reason to make it right – because we’re in the Reputation Economy now. That means your reputation is the most potent currency you have. It is the key that will unlock future opportunities for you – whether those new avenues are with your current gig or a brand-new company. But you don’t have all the time in the world to get going on reputation repair. Time is absolutely of the essence.

Keep these ideas for fixing your flub in mind:

Apologies – they’re not for the weak. When you’ve erred, a real apology is a critical first step. A good one doesn’t deflect blame to extenuating circumstances or on the deficiencies of others. Instead, it’s a straightforward acknowledgement of the situation and a simple, sincere acceptance of responsibility. This is the right thing to do – and that’s the primary reason to do it. But as a bonus, it can start defusing the anger, disappointment and frustration of others in the aftermath of your error.

Your apology is only as good as your commitment to a fast fix. Without action, apologies are just words – nice but empty. The one-two punch of reputation repair comes first with the apology that says, “I was wrong” and second with the plan for “I will fix this.” Did you miss a critical deadline that’s just put a software release behind? Come with a plan that shows just what you will do and how fast you can get it back on track. Then do it. Lose your temper with a key client? Take a deep breath and think about the actions that will underscore the sincerity of your remorse. Perhaps it’s a deep discount of your services for a defined period of time or providing a customer who loves the Yankees with box seats.

Recognize you may be in the doghouse. Some leaders are great at moving past flubs while others are…not. Accept that you may have to haul yourself back up to where you were in terms of trust. Practically, that probably means performing with perfection over the next weeks or even months. It may also mean volunteering for projects or assignments that aren’t sexy or exciting but valuable nonetheless. Your goal is to show that you’re someone who throws herself back into the game and quickly produces results for the team. But if you can’t do that…

Marshal your advocates. It’s possible that in your current gig, your mistake is just not recoverable. That’s certainly a blow – when we leave jobs, we want it to be on our terms and no one else’s. But that doesn’t mean your future has turned from Up-and-Comer to Down-and-Out in a single stroke. Now is the time to assess who your advocates are – within your company and outside it. As you start to shore up your digital presence – say, highlighting your leading role on projects using LinkedIn – check in with your mentors and trusted colleagues. Some may be interested in providing a public recommendation (great!) while others may be comfortable serving as a private reference (also great!). And don’t forget – these people may also serve as valuable sources of intel on opportunities for you.

When you’ve screwed up, what’s helped you recover?