How to say 'I'm sorry' when you've messed up
By Justin Thompson,
You're going to make mistakes at work. Perhaps you're in the middle of a presentation to your business team, and you spot a major typo. Or your boss's email made you so angry that you share a scathing diatribe with a co-worker, later realizing you hit "reply all" when sending your message. Maybe you complained about a team member in the kitchen, and he walked in to hear every scornful word.
It's
happened to all of us, and it's not fun. However, you can atone for your
workplace sins. Take responsibility and quickly remedy the harm you've
caused. Determine if your mistake is of the professional or personal
kind and figure out how you can fix it.
Shauna Heathman, owner of Mackenzie Image Consulting, shares four basic steps for fixing a workplace goof:
1. Weigh the impact of your mistake: You
need to figure out how big a mistake you've made and how to apologize
without blowing it up into an even bigger issue -- or worse, not
acknowledging your mistake at all. Always analyze the best medium to use
when apologizing, whether it's via email, face-to-face or a public
announcement. If you mocked a co-worker who was right behind you, go to
her directly. There's no need for a grandiose public apology, but an
email is not personal enough.
2. Apologize quickly and sincerely:
Transparency is best, and you should take full responsibility for your
actions. Attempting to be elusive to save face rarely works, and
dallying doesn't help matters either, so make your apology clear, to the
point and sincere. Don't overdramatize or make excuses for your
actions. Just apologize.
3. Be able to laugh at yourself:
There's no point in throwing yourself into a complete tizzy unless
you've broken a cardinal rule, such as flinging an expletive directly at
the CEO.
Otherwise, know how to laugh at yourself if it's something non-personal
and minor like typos or unintended accidents. Still apologize, but
recognize that you're only human and that everyone makes mistakes.
4. Take preventive measures:
As part of your apology, provide reassurance that you'll do your best
to never let it happen again. The bigger the blunder, the more
reassurance you'll need to provide. If typos or smaller issues were the
offender, having someone edit your work can help minimize such mistakes
in the future. When it comes to bigger mistakes, like an infamous "reply
all" or being caught slandering your co-worker, just let the person or
your boss know that if you have serious concerns you'll just address
them in person next time.
Shane Wagg of marketing agency Search Tactix shared some mistakes he's encountered at his own company and while working with other companies.
"As
an employer, I have had employees come to me with pained looks on their
faces admitting to an oversight or error which could have resulted in financial
liability," Wagg says. "But they got in front of it and in front of a
manager sooner rather than later, which helped to contain the damage.
"And speaking of [other work-related errors], one of the larger technology
companies in the world came to us with a pitch idea this week, and a
competitor's name [was] on it. In fact, when we called it out, they
claimed it was a typo," Wagg adds.
So as you can see, everyone
has to be mindful of their work and their mouth in the workplace. If you
have serious concerns about certain issues, talk to your co-workers or
your boss and address them head-on. If you're getting caught in petty
emotional wastelands, take a breath and refocus your energy on your
work.