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3 Steps for Fixing Mistakes at Work
Things go wrong. Whether these mistakes happen at work, home, school, so long as humans are involved, errors are made. Things always go wrong, and that will not change. At least, not anytime soon.
The question we face is not how to avoid being assigned blame. The question is not how to avoid ever making a mistake. The question is not even about how to hide mistakes so they are never found.
The question is how to handle mistakes when they happen.
Here’s a 3 step framework on how to approach this.
Take Ownership Gracefully
Take ownership of the mistakes you made, and express remorse. Then move on to the next step. Seriously. The sooner the “blame game” ends, the better.
Be quick to admit what you did wrong and how you might have contributed to some collective mistakes. Avoid making it personal. Don’t name names other than your own. Then move on to the next step.
Longer term, it doesn’t matter who claims the most blame. What matters is who has the best reputation. Consider reframing mistakes as an opportunity to demonstrate trustworthy behavior and develop a reputation for honesty.
Make It Right
Just saying “I’m sorry” does not change what happened. To the extent reasonably possible, try to change what happened. Fix the mistake, mitigate the impact, or make up for the mistake in some other way.
Synonyms include “Penance” or “Restitution”. Some may use the word “Justice”.
This provides evidence of remorse. It also demonstrates your sense of ownership, which only adds to your reputation.
Change Your Ways
If the same mistake occurs again, it makes your remorse moot. Very quickly, the argument against you becomes “if you were truly sorry, the same mistake would not have happened again”. Do not have a reputation for not learning yet seeking forgiveness anyway.
The reason this step is the hardest can be found in language. The root of the word…
