We all make mistakes. But knowing that fact doesn’t make it any easier when you make one. It can be especially hard if it’s at work or if it affects someone you care about. So how you handle it can make all the difference.
First, allow yourself to feel the negative emotions – but not for an extended period of time. It’s okay to be upset, to be emotional, to beat yourself up a little bit. But the key is not to stay there for long. It’s important to acknowledge your feelings but staying in the negative isn’t going to make you feel better nor is it going to resolve the situation.
Second, as hard as it may be, decide to take accountability instead of listing out excuses or reasons why the mistake was made. Now, there may be valid contributing factors; for example, last week, I got distracted by an urgent matter and completely forgot to submit a summary document someone needed by an important deadline. But I needed to take accountability for the fact that I messed up. There’s a mindset difference. Rationalizing why it isn’t your fault or continuing to list all the reasons for the mistake doesn’t allow you to take any learnings and it doesn’t help toward resolution. It also doesn’t help you develop resilience.
Lastly, resolve the best you can and note at least one key learning. Avoiding conversations about the mistake or trying to cover it up will likely keep the negative feelings about it hanging around. To use my example, it was a sincere apology and completion of the task ASAP. Now, some mistakes are bigger than others and have different impacts, so resolving it may take longer. But it’s a necessary step in the process. And I firmly believe there are learnings in everything. It may not be visible to you immediately but as you work through the resolution, it will emerge.
