Dealing with Mistakes at Work

Learn from your mistakes

Harvard Davis argues that making mistakes is a good thing and an important way of learning how to do things right. If you don’t make mistakes, you don’t learn, he says.

So how can you turn the mistakes that everyone inevitably makes to your advantage?

Plan ahead

The first step is to be aware that you might fail and be prepared for it. Try to spot the warning signs – such as being given a task that you might not be able to complete. If you sense that the project will get on top of you, talk to your boss about the extra resources and skills you need to get the job done on time and within budget. You’ll gain respect for your foresight.

Be aware of common traps that can increase your chances of making a mistake. If, for instance, you work for a company with a long-hours culture, mistakes are more likely to happen, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

A survey carried out by the institute found that more than a third of people who work long hours have made significant mistakes in their jobs, compared to only a quarter of people who work shorter hours.

Take responsibility

Don’t blame others for mistakes – even if it’s not your fault. Playing the blame game means members of your team will be less loyal to you, and they may try to make you the fall guy for future cock-ups. Talk about a team failure instead, where people share the blame as a group.

Come clean about your shortcomings. Don’t simply hope that the mistake will go away by itself, and don’t try to cover it up. Bosses don’t like surprises so if you know there will be trouble ahead, such as a failure to meet a deadline, spell it out to your superior in advance. Offer a solution if you can. It will show your boss that you’ve thought the situation through and you could pick up points for being a problem solver.

Don’t talk yourself down. It’s not good for team morale, and if you keep mentioning your mistakes your colleagues will start to believe you are somehow lacking. It’s better to apologise for something you did wrong and then forget about it.

Try and keep a sense of humour – and a sense of perspective. Deal with a mistake and move on. If you dwell on past errors you tend to reinforce them, whereas if you focus on what you want to achieve, you’re more likely to find a positive outcome.

Use your mistakes to accomplish something new. This will build self-confidence and banish the negative memories of your previous failure.

Lastly, take comfort in the thought that your failure to get a job or a promotion is rarely the result of your mistake. It’s much more likely that someone else just had more experience.

Further reading

See UK Net Guide articles on dealing with stress, and phrases describing incompetence.

2 comments

Erich Lagasse
20/12/2011

Here's a clickable version of that article.

 

Erich Lagasse
20/12/2011

If you really want to take responsibility for mistakes, you commit to preventing them. Dr. Gawande's Checklist Manifesto is a great way to learn how to prepare and reduce the number of mistakes you do at any given task. We have posted more info about his work at http://academy.justjobs.com/use-checklists/ if you are interested.

 

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