In the deadline-driven, high-stakes world of law, mistakes are inevitable. While everyone makes mistakes, however, not everyone handles their mistakes constructively.
While your first instinct may be to hide or to cover your tracks, a more measured and mature response is necessary to minimize the negative effects of a major mistake and to demonstrate that you’ve learned from your slip-up. Here are four constructive strategies for handling a workplace error:
- Admit your mistake.
In order to correct your mistake, you first must admit that it happened. Reporting your mistake to your supervisor or co-workers as soon as it happens allows you to find a way to fix the problem before it gets any worse. Explain what happened and then ask, “What can I do to fix it?” - Skip the excuses.
You may have a legitimate excuse for your mistake: the copier broke, the package failed to arrive, a power outage prevented you from calling a crucial client at a crucial time. Even if you have an excuse, however, it’s best to avoid listing them to your supervisor. Falling back on excuses, no matter how justified, makes you look like you’re trying to avoid the blame and push the responsibility of fixing the mistake onto others. Instead, make a genuine apology, take full responsibility, and focus on finding a solution. - Acknowledge the inconvenience.
When you admit your mistake, also acknowledge the additional problems it may have caused for others: your supervisor, your coworkers, or your clients. When you take the time to say “I’m sorry,” those around you are more likely to be willing to help you fix the problem. - Do everything you can to make it right.
The mistake was yours, so the task of making things right should also fall on your shoulders. Once you have admitted the mistake and worked out a solution, do whatever it takes to implement that solution: stay late, work over the weekend, apologize to any other affected parties. Make it your number-one priority to stop the damage from spreading, respond to the damage that has already occurred, and make sure a similar mistake doesn’t happen again.
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