You've Made a Mistake at Work. Now What?  May 19, 2008 RSS Feed
Print   • Comment (15)  When you make a mistake at work, how you
handle its immediate aftermath can often overshadow the mistake
itself.  First, here's what not to do:  1. Don't hope that if
you act like it wasn't a big deal, your boss might think it
wasn't a big deal either. This strategy will actually compound
the damage: Your boss will be far more alarmed that you don't
really care that you made a mistake than she will be by the
mistake itself. Rather than making the mistake less noticeable,
what will really stand out is that you're not taking
responsibility for it.  2. Don't try to cover it up. If your
boss finds out later on that you hid a problem from her, you
will have a permanent credibility problem—as well as a boss who
may feel compelled to poke around to find out what else you
might not be telling her about.  3. Don't make excuses or be
defensive. This almost guarantees your boss will respond badly.
Once you understand this, the form