Mistakes are an inevitable part of human lives. No matter how hard we try to avoid messing up, we end up making errors at work. Making mistakes at the workplace is very common. We all mess up at one point or the other, even the most experienced employees do.

After committing a mistake, the thought of the repercussions that might come with it makes everyone anxious. You might sink into an ocean of emotions and it is completely normal to feel this way after making a mistake. But to save your professional reputation, you must work towards remedying your error as soon as possible.

Let’s see what you can do to handle your mistakes effectively at the workplace to minimize their consequences.

Take a moment and contemplate

Firstly, do not rush into anything. You might be feeling a lot of emotions at that moment so you must give yourself some time. Accepting your emotions and dealing with them healthily will help you move forward towards correcting the mistake. It is also important that you do not dwell on your mistake for a long time. After letting your emotions settle, take a deep breath and think about the gravity of the mistake that you have made and the probable consequences that might come with it. Analyzing the magnitude of your error is an essential step in remedying it.

Do not play the blame game

When people find themselves caught up in this kind of situation, they start blaming others for the error that they are majorly responsible for. It might seem like a shortcut solution that will help to save your image but remember that this is not true. When it comes to fixing a mistake, pointing fingers at others does not do any good.

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Take responsibility for your mistake

If the mistake is trivial and does not affect anyone, then go ahead and fix it. Otherwise, be accountable and accept that you have made a mistake. Honesty and accountability in employees are the two traits that are praised by employers in the workplace as they portray maturity and professionalism. While admitting your mistake, explain to your boss that you are aware of its impact and that you are willing to make amends.

Come up with a solution

Now it’s time to utilize your problem-solving skills and display them. After assessing the implications of your mistake, organize the options that you have to rectify the mistake. Think about the plausible outcomes of each option, select the two best options that can reduce the effects of your mistake, and present them before your boss as ‘Plan A’ and ‘Plan B’.

Be open to feedback

You did the best you could have done by owning up to your mistake and devising a way to resolve it. But if your boss feels that you could have rectified your mistake in a better way, then listen to them and take their criticism constructively.

Last but not the least

As Denis Whitley said, “There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons”. Every minor mistake that you make in the workplace opens up the opportunity to learn from it. Allow your boss, trusted friends, and colleagues to share their perspectives with you. And when they do so, do not brush their suggestions aside, instead try to learn from them.

Repeating the same kind of mistake time and again can ruin your image in the workplace. Therefore, it is necessary to go deep into the roots of the mistake that you committed and make sure that you do not commit the same mistake again in the future. Also, your determination to not repeat the same sort of mistake should be conveyed to your boss through your improved performance.

Lastly, after you have taken the responsibility for the error, found a solution for it through critical thinking, and learned from it, it is time to move forward. Do not beat yourself up for these minor workplace errors as they are a part and parcel of your work and blaming yourself constantly for mistakes will only affect your mental peace and as a result, will have a negative impact on your work performance.

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Author-Achal Chaurasia

A young businessman who has been in the line of entrepreneurship for quite a few years. He is an active learner and loves to know more about new technological developments coming up as well as how they can be put to great use to yield better results for society.