Bouncing back from mistakes

photo courtesy of flikr user, anne gutermuth

Mistakes are inevitable. No matter how hard you try to avoid them, no matter how well you keep tabs on projects; mistakes will happen and things will fall through the cracks. How you deal with a problem once it arises can make all the difference in how people ultimately feel about both you and the issue that arose.

Don’t let simple mistakes ruin your whole day, instead use these tools to lessen the blow a bit:

• Admit the mistake

I learned this from my boss at one of my internships in college. Part of fixing a mistake quickly is admitting it’s there in the first place. If you don’t admit to the mistake it doesn’t get fixed. Once you acknowledge it, move on and set things right. Fixating on a problem, rather than the solution, only takes time away from finding the solution and other work that needs to be done.

• Work to find a solution

If you caused the problem, be proactive in finding the solution. As soon as you realize there’s a problem ask yourself, “how can I fix it?” Don’t sit around and make up excuses for the issue, instead do something to solve it. I’ve seen it time and again, when a mistake happens people become paralyzed and wait for someone else to step up, but if you’re proactive and try to solve the problem yourself usually people will be less frustrated that you caused the problem to begin with.

• Tell your boss

Use your best judgment here. Depending on the severity of the situation, sometimes it’s helpful to let your boss know. During one of my college internships everyone was scared to go the boss when things happened. They would try and fix the situation on their own, but maybe didn’t have enough pull or knowledge to find a solution. Because of this, sometimes the little mistakes would become big mistakes. So even though you might fear getting in trouble, it’s better to let your boss nip it in the bud than make the problem worse.

• Quickly apologize

One of the biggest problems with making mistakes in the workplace arises when others have to spend time fixing what you did wrong. Make sure you acknowledge those who take time out of their busy schedule to help you along the way. Let them know you’re very sorry and, at the same time, very grateful.