How to survive (and thrive) after an office blunder

None of us are perfect and that means from time to time we will make mistakes at work. Sometimes we let our boss down and other times we fail our team, but the key to getting out of the doghouse is strategically repairing the situation. Here are a few tips for getting back in your boss’ (or coworkers’) good graces after an office blunder.

Take responsibility (immediately)
Don’t wait for someone else to call you on your misstep. Instead of hoping it won’t come to light, own up to your mistakes right away. This will show your boss that in the event that another hiccup happens down the road, you can be trusted to be forthcoming about your involvement. This also shows others a humility that is respected in the workplace. Additionally, by taking responsibility from the start, you have more control in how you remedy the blunder instead of scrambling if you are outed by someone else.

Get started on solutions
Right after owning up to it, start getting together a game plan for moving forward. Did you fail to hold up your end of the bargain on a project that affects your colleagues? If so, schedule a meeting with the team to apologize for dropping the ball and ask them what you can do to get things back on track. Show them that you’re ready to go above and beyond what’s necessary to fix things. If your boss has been let down by your actions (or lack thereof), quickly speak directly with them on how you can repair the mistakes. The quicker you propose solutions and show you’re on top of getting things in order, the more likely your boss will forget about the blunder and focus instead on rebounding.

Let it be a learning experience
Once things are back where they need to be, demonstrate to your team you’ve learned from your mistakes by showing them more attention to detail and a strong work ethic. Whether that means getting a second set of eyes to review your work or being more open about any concerns or reservations you may have about what you’re working on, showing that you are striving to improve yourself will go a long way. Everyone knows that mistakes happen, but make sure the same ones don’t occur again, or you could face more serious reprimanding down the road.