By Sunny Simon
Recently I was interviewed for an online publication. The journalist wanted my perspective as a career coach on how to recover from a mistake at work. That was not a question I had to ponder at length. Of course, during my many years in corporate America, I made blunders, recovered and learned how to right my wrongs.
My remedy for bouncing back after you’ve stumbled and fallen involves a trio of activities. First, you must step up and take ownership. No stalling around looking for excuses or rationalizing why it wasn’t your fault. Own it. I might add you should own it even if you are not directly responsible, but if it happened under your watch. Stated differently, a manager plays a role in the mistakes of her direct reports as does a member of a team play a role when the group misses a goal.
After you have admitted the error, you must apologize. The mistake had a cost. An error causes damage. Take the high road, communicate your regret and be sincere about it. Muster up your courage to face the people you let down. Again, don’t drag your feet. Apologize at the first opportunity.
The third act of the getting out of trouble scenario is to find a fix. During my formative years my father taught me something I’ve held onto. He provided advice that is simple, straight-forward and yet so insightful. “Make as many mistakes as you like, but never make the same mistake twice.” Of course we are going to make errors as we navigate in both our careers and personal lives. As Ben Franklin put it, “You will know failure.”
Whether you experience a minor glitch or a major mess-up, focus on the root cause and begin brainstorming solutions. For example, let’s assume you are part of a team that implemented a process that failed. Immediately rally the troops and drill down until you have found the broken piece. Once you have, do two things. Write it and right it. Begin by documenting what happened. Next, rewrite the process so the mistake is never repeated.
Communicate to others in the company that you have uncovered and implemented a solution to the problem. You will regain much of the lost credibility by working quickly and getting the word out.
Once you have created a fix to what went wrong, stop and reflect on what you learned from the incident. Inherent in mistakes are opportunities to grow. Accept the lesson, do not let it diminish your confidence and move on to success.
Sunny Simon is the owner of Raise the Bar High Life and Career Coaching. More about Sunny at www.raisethebarhigh.com
