Communication

Accountability, what’s that?

Have you ever a made a mistake at work?

Of course you have. Everyone has. Whether it’s as insignificant as a misspelled word in an email to a big blotch on a report, mistakes happen.

There are three things you should do after a mistake:

1. Admit it.
Even if you just admit it to yourself and don’t tell another soul, you must admit that you made a mistake. Take responsibility for what you’ve done.

But, don’t go broadcasting it to everyone. If you someone (like your boss) needs to know, let her know, but your entire department doesn’t need to know you accidentally hung up on a complaint caller and now he’s called the CEO.

2. Fix it (if you can).
Some mistakes can be easily fixed, some simply can’t be undone. If it can’t be fixed, let it go and move on to step 3.

3. Take steps to ensure you don’t do it again.
All that’s left is to make note of it and try your best not to do it again.

Some people have major trouble with the three steps above as simple as they are. Take a good hard look at yourself and make sure you’re not one of these people:

The Blamer: This person goes out of his way to blame mistakes on other people. Blamers are generally not well liked.

The Finder: This person looks out for other people’s mistakes and takes delight in letting other people know about the mistakes they have made. (Note: It is sometimes necessary to point out the mistakes of others so they can do perform the above three steps and ensure they don’t make it again. Finders, though, are out to hurt other people through their mistakes. Not nice.)

The Broadcaster: This person feels extreme guilt over their mistake and tells everyone she knows about it. This is not necessary and can quite possibly be a CLM (career limiting move).

The Repeater: This person totally misses step 3 and keeps making the same mistake over and over. Repeaters will most definitely be hearing from the boss soon.

If you’ve made a mistake, deal with it and move on… you’re bound to make another one soon!