Tash Inspires

Cynthia has quickly gotten into the swing of things in her new role. She’s been working very diligently on her assignments, and her peers and leadership have certainly taken notice. So much so, that her responsibilities have begun to increase, week by week. Unfortunately, Cynthia may have bitten off more than she could chew. While finalizing an important project for the quarter, she noticed a critical error she made, that required the immediate attention of the entire staff. Everyone, including her boss, had to work late 2 nights in a row, because of this blunder. Cynthia felt awful, and she knew that something had to be done to restore her place as a rising star on her team.

Here are 4 best practices to follow in order to redeem yourself after a critical error at work.

1. Acknowledge and own your mistake – One of the worst things you can do in this position is avoiding the blame. It is important for your leadership and your co-workers to see that you are owning up to the error, and accept responsibility for it.

2. Apologize and make amends – Tell those who were impacted by the mistake that you made, you are not only sorry, but that you will make a genuine effort to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.

3. Get pro-active with a solution – Be active and thorough in the process of trying to resolve the slip-up. During the planning phase of the solution, be an active contributor, be open to feedback, take as much of the work as you can accurately manage, and approach the situation with quick and deliberate intent.

4. Create a prevention system – Ensure this mistake never occurs again by creating a documented process for this type of assignment. Write down each step needed to complete the task and ask your leadership to verify that the process you have constructed will lead the team down the path of success. Remember to double-check your work, ask questions if you are unsure about anything, and solicit help if needed.