How to recover after making a big mistake at work

03.02.2017

red envelope

Photo by Christian Bjarnson

Are you having a bad week at the office due to a medium to gigantic mistake you’ve recently made? It’s okay, you’re not alone. The Oscars had a historic moment when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway read the incorrect best-picture winner. The mistake caused PricewaterhouseCoopers to release a statement three hours after the show apologizing to everyone affected, and make the morning show rounds to explain how this mistake could have happened. No matter how large you feel like the mistake was that you made, it probably wasn’t as disastrous as naming the wrong best-picture winner in front of a TV audience of  32.9 million people.

 

You’ve probably thought through all of the possible outcomes of your actions like the fear that your mistake will result in termination, getting demoted, losing respect among your colleagues and direct reports, delay of promotion and just an overall feeling of failure. It’s totally normal to feel and fear all of those things, but we can tell you that no matter how icky you’re feeling now, your mistake is unlikely to make headlines like the mistakes of these CEO’s in recent years. Do you remember a few of these? So what are the best steps for you to take to recover from your mis-step?

 

  1. Admit that it happened.

Your first inclination might be to bury your head in the sand, avoid everyone in your office, and just get defensive. None of these actions will get you “out of jail” fast. The first person you want to talk to is your boss. Then you’ll need to talk to the affected members of your team. Own up to your mistake, and move on to step two.

 

  1. Explain why.

During step one, you need to explain why it happened. If you can fix it, explain the possible steps to the solution. Get permission from your boss to move forward with the remedy, and start performing the damage control, approved solution or triage. Explaining does not mean you get to make excuses. An excuse sounds like “I didn’t notice the spreadsheet wasn’t adding correctly before I sent it to the client, but I sent it to co-worker Y to proof it. So it’s not totally my fault.” An explanation sounds like, “I didn’t notice the inconsistency in the spreadsheet totals. I didn’t double check it the way that I should have before I sent it to the client.” Do you see the difference? Your boss or manager will likely ask a follow up question here, and you need to be careful answering that too. Throwing a co-worker or client contact under the bus in this situation will only position you in a more negative light.

 

  1. Work harder.

Do you have a tendency to come in late and leave early? Those days are gone. Make sure you arrive on time, offer to pick up extra projects, and stay late to show your commitment to your job and the organization. Eventually, people will talk about your willingness to improve your team’s performance, not your mis-step. Do whatever you can to change the conversation.

 

  1. Over-communicate.

This goes back to point number one. Do not treat your cubicle or office as a bunker that you are unwilling to leave. If you’re having problems or successes with any aspect of your job, you need to communicate with your boss. Don’t leave your boss or manager in the dark. Without communication, you’re allowing your boss or manager to draw their own conclusion about you and your performance, right or wrong. This does not mean you should camp out in front of their office, stalk them or flag them down in the hallway at every available opportunity. However, this does mean that if you had previously only talked to your boss or manager “as necessary,” it’s time to get a weekly status update on your calendars.

 

  1. Figure out how to avoid making the mistake again and talk about it.

If you go back to step two, remember the example of the spreadsheet and the lack of attention to detail we gave? To counteract a mistake like this, sit down with your boss or manager to discuss processes or ideas to implement in order to reduce the likelihood of the mistake happening again. Then follow up by making a increased effort to showcase your ability to follow the new process, or when a client is impressed by your attention to detail. This will help while you’re experiencing a new level of scrutiny over your work. –This is normal for awhile (probably months), and something that should eventually fade away. (Especially if you’re following these steps!)

 

The best overall piece of advice we can give is to try to forgive yourself. If you obsess over the mistake and never work through it and get past it, your mental state will take a beating. This can lead to decreased confidence and unhappiness that leaks over into other areas in your life. Worse, an overburdened mental state could lead you to make other mistakes because you’re so obsessed with your previous slip-up that you ignore other parts of your job. Remember, no matter how big your mistake, it probably didn’t lead page one of the New York Times this week, and it likely won’t lead to your termination or the hiring of a world-class PR team to downplay your oversight. Use these five steps to move forward, and sooner rather than later your oversight should be a distant memory.