Learn From Mistakes

From Wall Street Journal | Oct 4, 2009

I spent most of my early career trying to do things perfectly. And
as you can imagine, this didn't work out very well. Screw-ups happen,
and how you cope with them is a strong measure of your overall
effectiveness in a work environment.

Courtesy Alexandra Levit

Alexandra Levit

Merry
Miller, 39 years old, of New York City, was a professional harpist and
a successful businesswoman -- she oversaw programming for
adult-education company Learning Annex.

The same year that she made the Crain's New York "40 under 40"
rising stars list, Ms. Miller was tapped for a trial as an on-air
personality for ABC News. Her first segment with actress Holly Hunter
-- bungled due to technical glitches -- was a disaster. The tape was
leaked to YouTube, where viewers ridiculed Ms. Miller for being "the
worst host ever."

"It was hurtful and embarrassing," she says. "I cried a lot and did
some serious journaling. I was lucky to have a wonderful support
network of friends and family who helped me get through it."

Ms. Miller also leveraged the fact that her name was everywhere. "I
took all that attention and focused it on my harp playing, because I
had an established reputation in music that couldn't be destroyed." She
ended up launching a line of children's CDs and serving as a guest host
on the daytime talk show "The View."

Everyone Makes Mistakes

In the stress of the last year, have you said or done something that jeopardized your career? If so, you wouldn't be alone.

"People are feeling anxious, so they're being short-tempered,
passive aggressive and unproductive," says Martin Yate, a career
adviser at GoSavant.com, a career coaching and training site, and the
author of "Knock 'em Dead 2010: The Ultimate Job Search Guide."
"Unfortunately, the way workers typically deal with gaffes is to get
defensive and point fingers. They continue the bad behavior and
sacrifice promotions and jobs."

Take Responsibility

When you lose your cool or make a big
mistake at work, you may feel so humiliated that you either avoid the
people involved or act like the incident never happened.

Recognize, though, that proper damage control means taking
responsibility. Honestly assess the situation and look at it from the
other person's viewpoint. Ask yourself, "Was there something I could
have done differently? What can I learn from this experience so that I
have a better outcome next time?" Even if you believe you were right,
rudeness or disrespectful behavior is rarely warranted in a
professional situation.

Should you decide that you need to apologize, do so sincerely. In
person is best, but if that's too difficult, write a nice card. And
don't wait for the news to get around to your boss. Tell her
immediately, and be armed with a plan for cleaning up the debris.

Finally, Mr. Yate suggests using your crisis to build a bridge to
higher-level executives. "The only people who don't make mistakes are
those who sit in dark rooms," he says. "Seeking experienced counsel
will provide valuable feedback in the moment, and will have the added
benefit of helping you to establish authentic mentor relationships for
the future."

Write to Alexandra Levit at reinvent@wsj.com