You Made a Mistake at Work: Here's How to Clean Up the Mess
Andy Molinsky
Organizational & Cross-Cultural Psychologist at Brandeis; 3x Book Author: Global Dexterity, Reach, Forging Bonds in a Global Workforce
Welcome back to my LinkedIn newsletter where I share tips, ideas, and strategies to help you become more effective in business and life.
If we haven't been acquainted yet, I’m a professor of organizational and cross-cultural psychology, the author of?Global Dexterity ?and?Reach , and an HBR contributor and consultant.?I also work closely with coaches, trainers, consultants and teachers to certify them in my?Global Dexterity Method .
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You miss a key deadline. You forget to include key results in a report. You mistakenly send a half-written email to an important client.?Everyone makes mistakes -- but what everyone doesn’t necessarily do is manage the aftermath in a timely, professional, and effective manner.?And here are 4 key strategies for making that happen.
1. Assess the damage.?Your emotions might scream panic, but keep a level head.?How serious is this actually??Is there a quick potential fix???Or is the damage already done??Pause, assess, and gather yourself.
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2.?Speak with your boss.?And do this as soon as you can, but after you’ve had a chance to assess, calm down, and gather your thoughts.?Your boss needs to understand (a) what happened and why, (b) that you accept full responsibility, and (c) that you will not let something like this happen again.?This was your mistake.?Own up to it.?
3. Explain it will never happen again.?This is an opportunity to build up some of the social capital you’ve just tarnished.?Devise a plan for fixing this problem – and what you’ll do to make sure this never happens again (understanding your boss has the final call and might have different ideas).?You want to show that you’re remorseful, but proactive.?
4. Self-reflect.?Why did this happen??Was this a one-off mistake, or somewhat of a pattern?? You don’t necessarily want to reveal all your inadequacies to your boss, but it’s critical for you to honestly reflect and learn from mistakes in order to improve for the future.
In the end, everyone makes mistakes. The point isn’t avoiding failure; it’s handling the aftermath in a humble, proactive way that increases the likelihood of a softer landing.?