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There aren’t a whole lot of places you can work where you can just erase your mistakes, pretend they never happened, and get promoted for it.

Apparently, being a stock broker is one of those careers.

But, what about the rest of us? What do you do when you’ve forgotten things and been labeled, “The Forgetter”, at least in your boss’ mind. Or “The Young Kid”. Or “Dumb Blonde”.

It isn’t that you can’t correct the mistakes. However, very often, the mistakes will live on in your boss’ mind forever. For instance, has your boss subtly referred to your mistakes in meetings or when it was time to hand out assignments?

Do you have to leave the company to get away from your mistakes? Or can you eventually erase the mistakes from your boss’ mind?

There’s no single answer, since all bosses are different, but I do have a list of “The 6 Steps To Erasing Your Mistakes and Getting Your Career Back On Track” that should work for most situations.



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THE 6 STEPS TO ERASING YOUR MISTAKES AND GETTING YOUR CAREER BACK ON TRACK

For all of you guys out there: Some of this might sound a lot like relationship advice. It’s going to involve some “talking things out” in addition to the doing part. I’m truly sorry. I wish there was another way, but there isn’t.

So, suck it up, be a man, bite the bullet, and get your mistakes in the past.

For the ladies: You will love the relationship-building part of this, but you have to remember that you’re not actually married to or dating the boss (I hope). So, please put a little restraint in how much you relate to the boss.

In other words, be professional and a little detached. And no crying!

1. Admit You Screwed Up - These seems obvious, but in the corporate office environment today, everyone seems to be taking a cue from lawyers: deny until it is proven and spin once it is. Admit you screwed up! It’s okay. Everyone does it!
2. Fix The Problem - Now you need to make sure that you don’t screw up in that way again. What caused you to screw up? Most common are “didn’t take the time with the work”, “didn’t review what you were turning in”, “wasn’t keeping your bigger goals in mind”, and “had no idea what to do and didn’t ask for help”. Now come up with a plan to fix the problem and implement it.

NOTE: If you don’t do both of the above two things, you’ll never be able to get beyond your mistake. Never.

3. Tell Him To Stop! - So, now you’ve fixed the problem, but your boss won’t let you (or anyone else) forget about it. Privately, when you’re alone in a closed office, let your boss know that you know you’ve screwed up, show him what you’ve done to fix the mistake and make sure it never happens again, and ask him to stop referring to it. Some bosses will take this well and others won’t, but you’ve got to ask.
4. Look At Other Options Inside the Company - You may need to work for a different boss. Take a look around the company and look at other positions that might be open. Talk to the person you’d be reporting in the position and tell him your story. Namely, that your current boss won’t let you (or anyone else) forget about a mistake you’ve made, admitted to, and corrected. A good manager will understand, a bad one won’t.
5. Talk To HR - One of the jobs of HR is to mediate these types of disputes. If you have an HR department in your company and none of the previous things have worked for you, set up an appointment with them. Let them know that you feel like a mistake you made (and duly admitted and fixed) is haunting you because nobody will let it go. You really like the company, but you can’t continue to work there like this. What do they suggest?
6. Get Out - If there’s no way to escape your label, it’s time to move on down the road. Find another job and, when you’re interviewing, ask your future coworkers about this aspect of the prospective boss. As in, “Tell me about a time that one of you has screwed up and your boss has worked with you to fix the problem and make you better.” and “Do you feel like he’s constantly thinking about that mistake in the back of his mind when he works with you or hands out assignments?”

The trick is to find a good manager who will use mistakes as a way to improve you (because that’s the only way we really improve). That person could be your boss, another boss in the company, or some boss in another company.

Once you work for a good boss, you’ll never want to go back.


Enjoy the Search!

Dan
—–
Daniel R. Sweet
Chief Cook-And-Bottle-Washer / Technical Recruiter
FRACAT.com - Free Resume and Career Toolbox
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielrsweet
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 at 7:47 am and is filed under Work Life Tips & Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.