You Made a Mistake at Work. How Does Your Brand Recover?
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So what happens when you make a mistake? How do you recover? First of all, own up to it. It’s difficult, but bad news over time only gets worse. Sometimes we just want to put it to the side and make nice. Instead of hiding it, be honest and try to right the wrong. Lastly, don’t beat yourself up, and move on.



Here are a few points I made on KTXD-TV as the guest Leadership Excellence expert.



TIPS:




1 – Fess up NOW. Remember that bad news over time only gets worse. I realize that most of us do NOT like conflict. Trust me – it’s much better to handle ANY bad news the moment it happens. So, when you make a mistake – you are much better off to bring it to the table as soon as possible. It only gets uglier and hairier (if that’s a word!). Go straight to the person it affects. If necessary, apologize and try to make it right. And DO give praise ”at the moment” someone does something positive. We all like to be appreciated.



2 – Maintain the relationship. Take a look at your intent. Did you do something unknowingly? Then tell the person exactly that! Did you make a mistake due to poor planning, lack of follow through, or absentmindedness? Come clean! And no – I didn’t say it was easy. Mistakes are simply things that must be addressed, rather than shoved under the table. Honest apologies go a long way with professional people.



3 – Learn and move on. Ask yourself, “What did I learn from this?” It’s true that we typically learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. Just think how many inventors would never have brought us major accomplishments if they had stopped trying after the first mistake.



4 – Forgive yourself. Humans make mistakes and likely you’ll make others. Sometimes those risks we must take at work just don’t turn out the way we had expected. Or maybe we are going, going, going so fast…we slip and miss something that was important. The point is that it does more harm than good to stress over a mistake and beat yourself up. That’s an unnecessary energy drainer. The sooner you can come to grips with your mistake, the less drama you will create for yourself.



Do you have or need more tips, have comments, or good ideas of your own?Send an email and I’ll respond personally.