AtM: What to Do When You Mess up at Work
- The Career Mint Team
- Mar 10, 2016
- 2 min read
Dear Mentors,
I messed up. Big time. I made a really simple (and entry-level) mistake that feels unacceptable for someone in my position. I was able to amend it within the hour, but by that time, it had impacted other teams and our clients. I’m upset and embarrassed. I’m actually afraid I’ll lose my job. What do I do now?
Thanks,
I Messed Up
Dear I Messed Up,
We’ve all been there; made major am-I-going-to-be-fired mistakes at work. Here’s what you can do to amend the situation:
1. Be honest.
Follow the old adage “honesty is always the best policy.” Take responsibility for your mistake.
2. Bring possible solutions.
Don’t dump and run and expect someone else to fix it for you. Also, if possible, make sure you are part of the solution. In your case, maybe it’s helping a project manager explain the situation to your clients.
3. Learn from your mistakes and move on.
Is there something you can do to prevent this from happening in the future? Keep that in mind and use it as a chance to rethink your method. Share your thoughts with your manager, if applicable.
Remember, live and learn. So admit fault, bring ideas of how to fix it, and move on. We all make mistakes, but how we recover from them defines the true measure of a high performing employee.
Good luck and feel to sign up for a mentoring session if you would like to explore this topic or any other one in more detail with one of our experienced mentors.
This post is part of our Ask the Mentors series where mentors respond to questions submitted by our readers. You can ask your own question here.
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