What PwC's Oscar Mess-up Teaches About Recovering From Work Mistakes

Last night's accidental announcement of "La La Land" as Best Picture award winner, instead of "Moonlight" was perhaps one of the biggest mix-ups in Oscars history. Accounting firm PriceWaterhouse Coopers, who is responsible for counting the votes quickly issued an apology on twitter, saying:

It was a moment reminiscent of the mistake Steve Harvey made at the Miss Universe 2015 pageant, where he mistakenly announced the wrong woman as winner. And the way he handled the situation - much like PwC's response - reminded me of a few things we should do when we mess up at work.

1. Remember Your Values. As professionals, our core values should always provide a guide to workplace behavior. In moments like these, many will be watching how you respond, and it's a great opportunity to display that you "walk the talk" at work.

Sometimes, it feels like you might be able to get away with hiding your mistake. While the two presenters were clearly handed the envelope for the wrong category of award winners, they each had an opportunity to read what it said and question the contents instead of simply reading it. PwC has avoided the temptation to point the finger at others, instead issuing an apology for their own actions.

2. Admit Your Mistake. As tempting as it may be to pretend the mistake didn't happen, or couldn't have been avoided, identify the error as soon as you recognize it. Covering up mistakes rarely works, and creates problems in the future.  PwC published their apology well before morning news headlines covered the story.

3. Take Responsibility. Avoid the instinct to rationalize why the mistake happened, or point the finger at others to share the blame. Although PwC's statement never actually says the words "we made a mistake," (instead simply stating that "the presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope") their apology to the presenters themselves gets close to taking full responsibility.

4. Correct the Mistake. When you mess up professionally, take immediate action to fix it if you can. PwC indicates that the mistake "when discovered, was immediately corrected." Furthermore they "are currently investigating how this could have happened," and presumably will take steps to make sure it doesn't happen again.

5. Apologize and Make Amends Where Possible. The first four words out of Harvey's mouth in the Miss Universe situation were "I have to apologize," and PwC's statement begins "We sincerely apologize to Moonlight, La La Land, Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway and Oscar viewers." When we make mistakes at work, we should do the same.

6. Move On. Having taken these steps, PwC is now ready to move on from its mistake. While unfortunate, and sometimes painful, mistakes do happen - and it is not worth dwelling on them after you've taken the steps you can to rectify the situation. Will there be consequences for the mistake? Perhaps. Is it possible that they'll lose their contract to tabulate future awards shows? Possibly. But dwelling on the mistake and wallowing in self-pity won't chance that course of action if it is meant to be.

When you mess up professionally, don't allow one mistake in the workplace to cause such a feeling of shame and guilt that you never get over it, or allow it to start a spiral of ever-worsening performance.

In every professional's life, mistakes will happen. Some have giant consequences, and some will be minor. Yet I believe these six steps are a quick way to acknowledge, correct, recover, and move on with as much grace and professionalism as possible. 

But I'm curious to hear your views. Have you made a large professional error in the past? How did you respond? What advice do you have for others in similar situations? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. And if you found this post interesting, let me know by giving it a "Thumbs up!" and sharing it with your network.

About:  JD Miller is a senior technology executive with a career spanning small startups and large public companies. He uses this expertise to help organizations increase and sustain financial performance. He is also active in Chicago’s philanthropic community, with a special interest in issues related to hunger and homelessness.

You can follow Dr. Miller on Twitter @JDM_Chicago