Eileen’s Lesson: How Do You Handle Workplace Mistakes?

Happy Summer Solstice! The days are longer, the nights are shorter, and somehow, that makes it shockingly easy to lose track of time entirely.

I remember one summer when my kids were at camp and got dropped off by bus each afternoon. Parents had to meet the bus at the stop.  Easy enough because the drop-off was right near my office.

One gorgeous, sunny afternoon, I looked out my window and thought, “Great, I’ve got a few hours to get some work done.” Then my phone rang. It was the camp counselor, asking if I was coming to get the kids. “Of course,” I said, “at 5 pm.” I glanced at my watch: it was 5:05. I was at that bus stop in record time, and from that day on, I set a daily alarm so it would never happen again.

In interviews, I ask candidates plenty of questions about time management and staying on top of their to-do lists. I’ve never once asked about getting fooled by the Summer Solstice, but I do always ask about a workplace mistake and what they learned from it. Because in work, as in life, we’re not judged by our mistakes; we’re judged by what we do next.

Reflect:

• When was the last time your team discussed how to handle workplace mistakes openly, without fear of blame?
• Do your managers model accountability by acknowledging their own missteps and what they learned from them?
• In interviews, do you ask candidates about mistakes and lessons learned, and how do you evaluate their answers?
• Would your employees feel safe flagging an error early, before it becomes a bigger problem?

Take Action:

This week, identify one area where mistakes tend to go unaddressed or unspoken (missed deadlines, communication breakdowns, process errors, etc.) and open a conversation with your team about it. Reinforce that the goal isn’t to avoid every mistake, but to catch them early, learn from them, and adjust, and make clear that doing so will never be held against them.