Being human, we all make them. The difference lies in how we handle them.
A mistake can be a black mark that derails even a very talented person’s career. Or the same event can be a non-event, a pebble dropped in still water leaving hardly a ripple. Usually the outcome is determined by how we respond after the mistake is made.
Here are simple steps that can help keep mistakes from (unnecessarily) harming a career. Simple, constructive steps that can make problematic situations less so.
1. Admit what you did was wrong – Evasion will get you nowhere. Most of the time it only frustrates your management, as it did it in my phone call example above.
2. Take full responsibility for the error – OK, so you did something wrong. Don’t try to come up with fanciful excuses for it. My excuses of being busy with clients, plus traffic and paperwork, were ultimately weak. There was no reasonable reason why I couldn’t have found two minutes to make a phone call. “Man up,” or “woman up.” Take ownership and responsibility.
3. Explain what you learned from it and why you won’t do it again – It’s OK to make mistakes, but it’s not OK to keep making the same ones over and over again. If your management is fair and competent, they’ll likely be patient and understanding with you…though patience may wear thin for multiple repeat offenders.
Most of all, mistakes can be a chance to show the kind of employee, and person, you are.
4. They’re an opportunity to show your character – A mistake can actually be a positive opportunity to demonstrate character – to show you’re a person who’s honest, forthright, and can be trusted to tell the truth in a difficult situation.
In short, mistakes are a natural part of life, but there are definitely better and worse ways to handle them.
No comments:
Post a Comment