5 Steps to Manage Your Mistakes At Work

Written by Amalia ~ Category: Career & Finance ~ Read Time: 4 min.

It is indisputable that one of our worst "nightmares" at work, which can also be very stressful, is not making mistakes.

What is also true is that the fear of making a mistake holds us back, prevents us from taking the initiative, and, therefore, moves forward to develop.

What if I am wrong? What happens next? What will others say?

I think that's the most challenging part of the job. When the time comes, and we make a mistake -it will come, I assure you- we panic. Overthinkers certainly know this, as thousands of thoughts go through their minds about how to handle it.

I wouldn't say there are magic ways to get you over that fear. It can be a difficult situation when you make a mistake, and then you have to handle it and resolve it. Your employer is pushing you, colleagues are giving you a funny look, and we all know how uncomfortable it can be. However, whenever we make a mistake, it's good to try and help ourselves manage it.

It is not as difficult as one might think. Here are some tips to help you step up and deal with it.

Take responsibility. Maturity and responsibility are virtues in the workplace. Even when you make a mistake, it is crucial to show your employer or colleagues that you are a responsible person who knows what you are doing right and what you did wrong and that you are ready to fix it. No one is perfect, but certainly, the way you handle your mistake will show a lot about your professionalism, starting with whether you are responsible enough to take it on.

Be honest. I don't think there's any point in lying about our mistakes. One lie leads to another, which creates a stressful environment for the employee. Tell the truth, and it will make it easier for you to find a solution. That way, someone else can help you. Don't avoid it or try to bury it under other excuses. This will bring you more stress and perhaps more problems.

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For this reason, in fact, don't try to sugarcoat things. If you show the other person that you are trying to make the situation look better, they will understand that what you did is much more severe or at least that it has affected you much more. Integrity and honesty are key elements to have at that time to avoid making things worse.

Explain. You can simply explain what happened, what difficulties you encountered. The person involved in your mistake (employer, client, or colleague) only wants to understand what happened. You don't have to share all the inadequacies you have. You do, however, owe it to them to explain in detail, if necessary, the cause of the mistake, what brought you to this point, and, of course, what you intend to do to solve it.

So stop your work for a while and evaluate. Think about the severity of the problem and what you need to fix it. The stress is probably getting to you at that time, and you're probably thinking of the worst scenarios. But if you try and rationalize it a bit, there will always be a solution, a way to fix things.

Is it something that happened by accident, or is it a recurrence? What will you change to prevent it from happening again? Once you think about what you need to do, you need to become functional again.

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Show that you have learned from your mistake. Mistakes can indeed make us better, so don't take them lightly. You can use the mistake for something better. I think it's the best, maybe not the most enjoyable, way to gain experience. Make a plan and figure out how you can avoid it next time. Show that you have matured from it and are ready to continue your work with more knowledge than before. That way, you'll make amends after finding the solution, and the uncomfortable part will be forgotten.

So you might as well forget it. The mistake we all make is to dwell on our mistake as if we depend on it and if it is the only thing that defines us. We need to forget about it and move on. After we think about what's wrong, how we handle it, how we fix it, we can get on with our work and become better after it.

At this point, I would like to remind you of something very essential

... no one is infallible!

The mistakes we make and the criticism received are a way to become better. It's a cliché, of course, but it's good to remember that we only learn from our mistakes. It's not about learning to avoid mistakes or letting them affect us and hold us back. The point is to turn an error into an experience. Αs professionals, we must learn to manage these situations, which are the ones that will truly make us better. A true professional is not one who does not make mistakes but one who knows how to deal with them and correct them. This attitude will add value to our professional lives and make mistakes in a creative learning process.

It took 2 coffees to write this article.


About the author

Amalia

Amalia is the Teacher. She loves what she does. She is addicted to detail: if it isn’t perfect, it’s not good enough. She loves her job and she loves writing. She wants to learn new things and she is very curious about everything. Her favorite question: Why? She usually answers the questions by herself, though.

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