![]() Blaming others will only make you look petty, Hladio says. “Even if the problem is a big one, being stressed or anxious impedes your ability to think clearly,” says Hladio.ĭon’t throw others under the bus. Take a step back and breathe. Before you begin stressing about what’s going to happen next, or start visualizing yourself being fired, allow yourself time before jumping into action. “The former involves the person taking responsibility for misreading the instructions and not confirming the deadline time, whereas in the latter they are blaming the instructions and implying that the application was generically filed late without specifically saying they did it,” he explains. Weisman suggests saying something like: "I missed the deadline for submitting the application on the part of our client by three hours because I misread the instructions and was unaware they required us to submit the application by 5 p.m. Eastern Time, and since we're in Pacific Time, I thought we had three more hours." And avoid saying something like: "Well, their deadline was on Eastern Time even though most of their clients are on Pacific Time like us, so the application was filed three hours late." ![]() This strategy - complete transparency - is the best way to convince them of that. “Forgiveness is much easier if they are comfortable that the error won’t be repeated,” he says. Let your boss know exactly what happened and why take full ownership and let them know why and how it will not happen again. “Your boss may be angry and upset, but he or she will eventually cool down. The sooner you identify and admit the mistake the sooner you can start to fix the problem.”īe direct and unambiguous. “The more information you can bring regarding what happened and what the potential impact may be, the better.” When you fully assess what went wrong and the potential consequences, it’ll show your boss that you care and want to learn from the mistake.Īdmit your mistake immediately. It’s like pulling a Band-Aid off, Hladio says. It is painful in the beginning, but as soon as you get it over with, the healing can start. Calculate the potential damage of your mistake before the conversation, suggests Skip Weisman, a leadership and workplace communication expert. Here’s how to tell your boss you’ve screwed up:Īssess the damage. “Your superiors will usually find out anyway, so it's certainly best if they hear about it from you.” In this day and age of free-flowing information, it is difficult to keep secrets, anyway, he adds. And while they know this as well as you, they also want to know that you will fix the error and won’t do it again.” “Everyone makes mistakes, including your superiors. “That starts with letting your superiors know what happened,” he says. The more open and honest you are about the matter, the higher the chance of resolving it quickly without getting into major trouble, she says.ĭavid Parnell, a legal consultant, communication coach, and author, agrees that more often than not, it is best to get out in front of any issues or aftershocks from a mistake. So, the natural tendency is to cover up the mistake - but this can be more damaging than taking your lumps by accepting responsibility.” And your reputation is essentially the foundation upon which your brand equity is built. ![]() “This is partially because we know it will hurt our personal, as well as our professional, reputation. “When we make a mistake we experience a cognitive dissonance, which is a form of mental discomfort and tension,” says Mary Hladio, a workplace expert and president of Ember Carriers leadership group.
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