Have you ever made a costly mistake at work that made you so upset? Maybe you sent the wrong document to a client, failed to meet up to a deadline, cost the company an unplanned expense, or even something worse.
It’s important to remember that you’re only human and nobody’s perfect; so your mistakes do not define you at all. While you might be worried about the effects of your error on your reputation or workplace, you should realize that you can always put it behind you and forge ahead. A s a wise man once said: ‘We move’.
Here’s how to bounce back from a work mistake so you can regain your confidence and the trust of your company.
Take Responsibility
The first thing to do is to own your mistake and take accountability for the consequences that may follow. You should try, as much as possible, to avoid playing the blame game. You can highlight the external factors that contributed to your mistake, but you should take full responsibility. By doing this, you’ll gain the trust and respect of your colleagues.
Apologize
Even if you don’t agree that an inevitable failure was as a result of your actions, it’s still important to apologize. Arguing back and forth or giving a flippant apology gives off the impression that you are unremorseful and arrogant. However, don’t chastise or beat yourself up in the process of apologizing. Your boss or colleagues could see this as an opportunity to talk down on you.
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Rectify Your Error
If possible, you should create an action plan on how to rectify your mistake and remedy whatever affects your error might have had on your team and the company in general. By doing this, you’ll show that you are willing to take full responsibility.
Put In More Work
Actions speak louder than words, so the best way to earn back the trust of your bosses and colleagues is to increase your productivity and work smarter. Go the extra mile to seek opportunities to leverage your strengths and show how valuable you are to the company. Put in more effort into your work, share new ideas and find ways to be more efficient. This way, you’ll show growth and a willingness to do better.
Learn From The Mistake
Evaluate your actions and identify where you went wrong, so you can ensure you don’t make the same mistake again. Were you too relaxed? Did you procrastinate? Were you impatient? Did you fail to proofread your work? Whatever your mistake was, make sure you identify it and work on it.
Move On
There’s a tendency for you to spend so much time deliberating on your mistakes and beating yourself up. If you do this, it will hinder you from moving forward. Learn from the error, put it behind you and move on. As stated earlier, your mistakes do not define you.
Have you ever made a huge mistake at work? How did you overcome it?
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