Made A Work Mistake? How to Bounce Back

We all make mistakes. It’s part of being human. But when we mess up at work, we have much more at stake.

If we make mistakes in our personal lives, we can cope by working through it with the people closest to us. But if we make a mistake at work, we often jeopardize our professional reputation. And your professional reputation is essentially the foundation upon which your personal brand rests.

So what do you do if you messed up big-time at work? Here are a few tips for bouncing back quickly:

Step back and breathe. This first step is essential. It can be easy to get worked up over our own failings, but we can’t internalize self-hate when we make mistakes. Before taking action, assess the situation and take a moment to clear your head. Even if the problem is big, being overly stressed or anxious impedes your ability to think clearly and bounce back quickly.

Own up to it. Hiding your professional mistakes may seem like a good idea, but it can lead to more problems in the future. If you’ve messed up at work, address the situation immediately. Don’t mask it or sugarcoat it, either. Let your boss, manager, or co-worker know what happened as soon as possible to work on a solution.

Avoid misplaced blame. Put aside any urges to place blame on others where it isn’t due. This will only worsen your situation, and can lead others to distrust you in the future. Repeat step number one to clear your head before jumping to place blame on someone else.

Be timely. Don’t let your mistakes simmer or they’ll only get worse with time. Own up to your mistakes sooner rather than later if you want continued trust from your higher-ups and fellow employees.

Apologize. Try saying something like, “I’m sorry this happened. I accept responsibility for it, but I may need help to create a fix. Can we talk about this over a meeting?” You don’t have to be overly apologetic, but a quick recognition of your failing can help to propel you forward and show you value your work, even when you mess up. 

Offer a fix. Healing work mistakes means being proactive about coming up with a solution. Offer a few solutions to your boss, manager, or co-worker, but be open to their feedback, too. If you’ve gotten yourself into a mess, you may need help to get out of it.

Work mistakes aren’t the end of the world. Still, healing mistakes does require action on your part. Taking small steps toward healing by showing openness and commitment to your job can help you to recover sooner rather than later.