How I Handle and Correct Mistakes That Happen

To err is human…

Now that quote was originally in reference to medical errors in the U.S. healthcare system, however, it works at its core concept.

Making mistakes is human, we’re people, and at some point, we are going to screw up.

In our careers, at our jobs, sometimes we are going to make a mistake, some big, some small.

How do we handle that?

I don’t know about you but when mistakes happen in my business (and even beyond that) this is how I address them and learn from them!

Pause & Reflect

The very first thing I do when I spot a mistake is take a moment to react to myself. This private moment allows me to still have that knee-jerk reaction of frustration without letting it impact those on my team.

If in your business, when a team member makes a mistake and your first reaction is to include them in this, reconsider. Having your boss or your team lead put you on blast in a public forum or unconstructively talk at you about your mistake and its impact is not productive.

Your first reaction to the mistake is more than likely one of pure emotion, you don’t have a plan to fix it yet and what that does is create a culture of shame and anxiety among your team. When another mistake is made, they’ll be apprehensive to come to you or try to hide it altogether.

You DO NOT want this. If your team is feeling this way about you as a leader, you are the one making the biggest mistake of them all.

These are a few questions to ask yourself when you pause:

What am I frustrated about concerning this mistake? The mistake itself or the impact of the mistake?

Is this an easy fix or a larger process miss?

How did I contribute to this mistake being made?

The biggest part is understanding your own accountability and coming from a place of empathy and understanding.

Communicate & Correct

You’ve reflected and now it’s time to take action!

First, you want to schedule a 1-on-1 with the team member who made the mistake. When you begin your 1-on-1, start with some casual conversation to help diffuse any tension that might occur or any nervous energy.

When you make light of the mistake if they were unaware, you want to ensure your tone is not exasperated or you’re coming from a place of anger. A calm tone will help make the uncomfortable conversation a bit more comfortable and ensure that the focus is on the work and not the emotions or the person.

Ask your team member about their process, that way you can understand how they came to make the mistake.

If it is a process or training gap, show them how to properly complete the task step-by-step and hold yourself accountable to fill the process/training gap, whether that means recording a training video or writing down the “how-to” of the task.

Not every mistake made has to do with a “gap”. You are one part of your employee’s life, a lot is going on that you don’t see, just like how a lot is going on in your life that your employees have no clue about. This is why communication is key in these moments as it could reveal that perhaps your team member’s workload is too much, big things are going on at home, or they’re burnt out.

Coming from a place of empathy and compassion shows your employees that you care and you want to help, not just that they’re “getting in trouble”.

Move On & Forward

Now that you know how the mistake happened and have corrected it with your team members, the most important next step is to give them grace.

Looming their mistake over their head will only feed into that culture of fear and anxiety I mentioned earlier.

Forgive and forget. It’s a mistake that has now been rectified, there is no point in letting yourself and your team continue to dwell.

If the mistake is repeated by the same team member, follow the first two steps again, spending more time on the Communicate & Correct step, reminding your team member how you both went through the correct process the first time.

To err is human. Nobody’s perfect.

However you say it, mistakes happen everywhere, especially in business, and yes, in YOUR business.

It’s fine. It’s okay. It’s alright.

But it’s how you confront those mistakes that makes the biggest short-term and long-term impact on your business.

Don’t be toxic, be a leader.