Bounce Back After a Big Mistake
Caroline Levchuck, Yahoo! HotJobs
You didn't seal the deal. You lost a big client. You made an accounting
error that cost your company thousands of dollars. Whatever the case is, you
blew it. And your boss and everyone you work with know it.
So, now what? Use these tips to get into and get over what you did wrong.
1. Own it.
While many of us would prefer to forget our mistakes, initially you need to
acknowledge to your supervisor and everyone involved that you're accepting
responsibility for what went wrong. If you do this right (that is, seriously
and sincerely), you'll only have to do it once.
2. Take the heat.
You may get teased by from coworkers for a long time to come. Accept gentle
ribbing with a wink and a smile. However, don't take blatant abuse from
someone who can't get past what happened. If a colleague's teasing becomes
taunting, speak with your supervisor and a human resources representative.
3. Don't beat yourself up.
It does no good to dwell on your mistakes, which can lead to doubting your
competence. "This type of thinking is actually self-destructive and only
serves to hamper future effectiveness," says Liz Bywater, president of
Bywater Consulting Group, a Philadelphia-based firm focused on optimizing
organizational performance. "Remember: Failure is not in the falling down
but in the staying down."
4. Learn from the past.
Solicit advice from your boss and trusted associates to help you analyze
what went wrong and how you might've avoided the error entirely. Go back in
the process as long as is necessary; however, be careful to avoid blaming
anyone else, despite what you may uncover. Just learn from your own
mistakes.
5. Keep it in perspective.
Seek a broad view of your career and accomplishments. "Chances are, you've
experienced at least as many successes as failures," Bywater says. "It's the
successes that deserve your greatest attention. Learn from them and continue
to build upon your strengths."
6. Move on.
You've apologized. You've taken your lumps. You've analyzed where you went
wrong. Now, it's time to move on. Don't raise the topic of your mistake
again. Your boss and coworkers want to move past this as much you do;
continue to look to the future and don't allow your career or day-to-day
performance to be marred by one error.
source:
hotjobs.yahoo.com/jobseeker/tools/ept/careerArticlesPost.html?post=34