How to: Handle Mistakes

What does this look like?

Managers who handle mistakes effectively:

• quickly recognise and acknowledge their mistakes—publicly if appropriate
• take responsibility for mistakes
• treat mistakes as learning opportunities
• demonstrate that they’ve learned from mistakes
• let those affected by their mistakes know what they’ve done and the potential impact
• quickly move on and don’t dwell on their mistakes.

What standard are managers held to?

Leaders have to regularly make decisions that impact others. When making decisions, managers are expected to take ‘reasonable management action in a reasonable way’ (for more on this, refer to the Micro-Skill Guide on Manager Rights and Responsibilities).

Sometimes you’ll make a decision that:

• is not reasonable
• is not carried out in a reasonable way
• doesn’t meet the required standard
• has a negative outcome.

When this happens, you’re obliged to correct the matter as soon as you can. Taking action to correct a mistake is considered ‘reasonable management action taken in a reasonable way.’

How can I do this?

1.     Understand why you made a mistake

Reflect on what led to the mistake. Ask yourself whether you:

• knew all the facts
• acted too quickly or too slowly
• took poor advice from someone
• let emotions cloud your decision.

2.     Admit the error

This can be hard but admitting your errors will make you more respected over time. People will learn that you take responsibility for your actions and their consequences. Admitting fault can be painful in the short term but will make your job easier in the long term.

3.     Consider and address the consequences

Some mistakes are minor. Others are critical and have a significant impact. Think about the consequences of your mistake and how it’s affected others. What may not seem significant to you or your unit may have a significant impact on another person or unit. Let others know that you recognise the impact your mistake has had and apologise if appropriate.

Try to make things right or minimise any negative impact. This is important because:

• you learn more about the systems of Metro North Health
• your staff will learn that you take action to fix things.

If you’re not sure how to address the consequences yourself, consider getting advice and support from your line manager, HR Business Partner, Business Manager or other support person.

4.     Embrace the leaning opportunity

It’s important to reflect on your mistakes and learn from them. Think about what you need to change to avoid making the same mistake again.

How do I move on?

1.     Don’t get stuck in regret

It’s natural to feel frustrated, embarrassed or even distressed after making a mistake. Ideally, these feelings quickly pass. If you can’t stop ruminating about your mistakes, you may want to access Metro North Health staff support services.

2.     Keep things in perspective

Try to make sure your emotional response is in proportion to the mistake. With few exceptions, making an error at work is not a life-or-death situation, and most mistakes can be resolved or corrected.

3.     Confront the worst-case scenario then let it go

While mistakes have consequences, don’t let your mind exaggerate and distort the potential consequences of your mistake. It can be helpful to confront the worst-case scenario—whatever that may be—make peace with it and move on. You might say to yourself, ‘I messed up. The worst that can happen is that I get disciplined. That’s highly unlikely.’

4.     Keep apologies simple and sincere

If you need to apologise for your mistake, do it swiftly and briefly. You might say something like, ‘I made a mistake and I’m working on correcting it as soon as possible.’

You don’t need to give excuses or justifications. Just acknowledge the error and move on. Remember that people are usually busy with their own goals, projects and issues.

5.     Make changes to avoid future mistakes

Evaluate what you need to do differently so you don’t repeat the mistake. For example, should you:

• focus on fewer things at a time?
• slow down?
• pay more attention to important details?

Make the changes you need to make. If you think it would be helpful, let your boss know what you’re doing to avoid making the same mistake in future.

6.     Look after yourself

Take stock of your physical and mental health. Stress, fatigue, poor nutrition, dehydration, sitting too long in your chair, and lack of exercise can all impair your performance at work.

Consider accessing Metro North Health’s Staff Wellness resources for ideas about how to improve your physical and mental wellbeing.

7.     Earn back trust

The best way to earn peoples’ trust and admiration is to consistently deliver great work. If you do that, occasional bouts of forgetfulness or slip-ups are likely to be quickly forgiven and forgotten.

The bottom line is that one mistake, even a big one, does not have to derail your life or career.

You may find this challenging if you…

• don’t acknowledge mistakes
• refuse to apologise
• don’t reflect on your decision making
• aren’t organised in your work
• are paralysed by a mistake and unable to move forward
• constantly second guess yourself
• fear making decisions because of past mistakes.

You’re not handling mistakes effectively if you…

• are too critical of your own judgement
• apologise too much
• over analyse past mistakes