5 Steps to Take When you Make Mistake at Work

No person can be perfect, we all commit mistakes in our life. But how we handle those mistakes and reduce its after effect is what matters the most.

Making mistakes at workplace is a very common thing. We all must have made blunders in the office at least once in our career. Mistakes can be small, having a very less impact, while some can be serious which can affect your employer.

People do not make mistakes intentionally, but due to high work pressure, lack of information or decision taken in a hurry, mistakes are due to happen. While we cannot avoid the mistakes at workplace, but we can learn about how to handle these mistakes gracefully.

Here are some tips on how to handle the mistakes committed at workplace.

#1 Acknowledge your Mistake

As soon as you realize that you have committed a mistake, acknowledge it. If the mistake is small, which can be rectified before people are affected, take the action immediately. While if the mistake is a serious one, immediately inform your boss about it. Never ignore the mistake and run away from it. Even if you do not admit, people will find out that the mistake has been committed by you. So, it is always better to admit it yourself and show a professional behavior.

#2 Work on a plan to correct your mistake

Mistakes cannot be ignored. Once you realize that you have made a mistake, immediately analyze the after effects of that mistake and what can you do to minimize or avoid those effects. Your boss will appreciate, if you acknowledge that you have made a mistake and this is how you plan to rectify it. It is very important that your boss knows about the situation and the plan to rectify it, so that he can support you in front of other stakeholders.

#3 Retrospect on why did you commit that mistake

Before taking action to correct the mistake, think about what led you to make that mistake. Was it due to lack of information, data errors, technical problem, a gap in the process or may be just your wrong approach or attitude. It is important to understand the root cause of the problem so that you can firstly find a solution to rectify it, and then correct the root cause so that such mistake is not repeated in the future.

#4 Ensure that the same mistake is not repeated in future

Employees are appreciated if they learn from their mistakes and ensure that the same mistake is never repeated. After analyzing the root cause of the problem, take all the measures to correct the root cause, so that not only you, but others will also be prevented from making that mistake. If it is your approach or attitude or your lack of concentration, you must work upon yourself and make changes in your style of working, so that you do not repeat such mistakes again. Mistakes will be forgiven once or twice, but repeated mistakes can hamper your career.

#5 Move on

Remember that, mistakes can happen with anyone and no one is perfect. Once the chapter about the mistake is over, just move on it. Do not keep that guilt in your mind. You made a mistake, apologized for it and corrected it, so the next step is to leave it behind and move ahead. If you carry the guilt or be afraid of the mistakes, you will not be able to work efficiently. So, do not be afraid of past mistakes and take on new responsibilities with confidence. Mistakes should be taken as learning opportunities and care should be taken to avoid them in future.

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