Recovering from a Big Mistake

Everybody makes mistakes, and a big mistake at work can have serious repercussions. So what can you do after you blow the deadline on a big project, send an email to the absolute last person who should see it or get the numbers wrong on a year-end spreadsheet that goes straight to corporate?

Panicking will not do you any good, and in truth there is probably not much you can do except work damage control. The best tip is to admit your mistake to your bosses the moment you realize you have made it. They will probably be angry at first, but a professional boss will cool down a lot quicker if you are candid than if you try to hide your error and delay the inevitable. Nor should you make excuses for your mistake. Even if you do have a good reason, rather than attempt to mitigate your blame you should simply apologize, take responsibility and try to fix what has happened.