Owning up to a mistake is one of the hardest things to do at work.  Whether you’ve worked at the same company for many years or have just started, when something goes wrong, all fingers will point to the person who caused the problem.

Everyone has his or her own way of dealing with a mistake.  Fear of the consequences of admitting fault will often shape what you decide to do.  If you admit you’re wrong at work, it’s natural to be afraid that your boss or colleagues will think less of you for it.

In some cases, this may be true.  Unfortunately, there are workplaces that breed an environment of fear and distrust.  When mistakes happen at these kinds of organizations, it’s usually better to keep your head down until the situation blows over.

Thankfully, most companies are not like this and will not shun you if you mess up.  If you work at a company that challenges its employees and encourages group collaboration, owning up to your mistakes may be one of the best things you can do for your career.

It may seem counterintuitive to admit weakness to strengthen your career, but think about this for a moment: a person who can admit a mistake is a person who can learn from it.

Now, I’m certainly not recommending making mistakes a daily part of your work life.  That wouldn’t be good for anyone’s career.  What I am saying, though, is that if you admit a mistake, you have created an opportunity to learn how to prevent that mistake in the future.  Your boss will probably also appreciate your honesty and the fact that you’ve spared him/her the frustration of trying to figure out what went wrong.

The best way to handle a mistake is to admit fault, accept responsibility, and explain how you intend to prevent that mistake from happening again.  If you need to explain why things went sideways, go ahead, but the most crucial part of any admission of error is the guarantee that the same error will not be repeated.

For example, let’s assume I’m working on a big account.  It’s Friday, I’m looking forward to the weekend, I’m not paying attention, and I send the wrong information to the clients and now they’re angry and my company looks foolish.  The boss comes in, furious, and demands to know who royally screwed this up.

If it’s not immediately known, it’s likely that problems will eventually be traced to the person who caused them. If I stay silent, I am taking a gamble as to whether my actions will be discovered.  Nothing will be gained here, and a lot could potentially be lost.

Or, I could ask to speak to my boss privately and admit that I sent the wrong information.  I’ll probably get a stern talking-to and it likely won’t be pleasant, but it will open an opportunity for my boss to teach me more about how our relationships with clients work.  Before leaving, I tell my boss that I will not repeat the mistake again (which I won’t, because now I know better) and the issue is eventually worked out.  A stronger relationship with my boss is gained, as well as an opportunity to expand my knowledge of the company, and the only thing that’s lost is the safety of an anonymous mistake (which is not really safe at all as it may be discovered at some point anyway).

In my experience, admitting to mistakes and resolving not to repeat them has been the best way to deal with slip-ups.  Obviously it would be better not to have made a mistake at all, but to err is human, and everyone messes up now and again.

How do you deal with workplace mishaps?