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Smart Advice on Dealing with Difficult Situations at the Office
Mistakes happen. No matter what you do to try to avoid them, they are inevitable. But it’s how you handle dealing with an issue, and what you take away from the situation, that will truly define you in your career. So it’s important to remember that creating a professional brand that represents honesty and integrity is a pillar to your success. One of the ways you can enhance this important aspect is shown by how you deal with difficult situations in the workplace, including how you deal with mistakes.
Let’s take a look at some scenarios that you might face at work, and some suggestions on how to deal with them:
- You Identify a Risk with a Project. You’ve probably experienced a situation where the project you are working on is coming up against a deadline that you’re not sure if you can meet, or you are waiting on someone else for information to complete your task, or it is just taking longer than anticipated. The most harmful thing you can do in this situation is not to say anything. Don’t be afraid to bring your concerns to your boss and come prepared to give suggestions on how to minimize the risk. Working together, you can find a solution to either re-prioritize your work, help escalate any issues outside of your control, and set appropriate expectations, given your concerns.
- You Notice a Mistake. As soon as you find a mistake, take responsibility for it. Go to your boss first, explain briefly what happened, and apologize for the error. If there are any other stakeholders involved in the project, make sure to take accountability for what happened. If the mistake can be corrected, take the necessary steps to correct it as quickly as possible. If not, provide assurance that the same issue will not happen again.
- Your Boss Confronts You with an Error. Immediately take responsibility for your actions, explain that you will look into what happened right away, and then make the necessary correction to fix the problem. Make sure you report back to your boss when the situation is resolved, and be able to pinpoint where the slip-up occurred.
- There are Mistakes on a Group or Team Project. Instead of getting into a game of “he said, she said” with your colleagues, take responsibility for the confusion, and look to move forward. This more positive approach helps show leadership and accountability to your boss and colleagues. The only person you can control is yourself, and, at the end of the day, a battle with your co-workers isn’t the most productive solution.
- Dealing with Emotions in Difficult Situations. In any situation where you are receiving negative feedback, always be aware of your emotions. In stressful situations, it’s human nature to have a default emotion. For some, that’s crying or getting overly defensive. Always check yourself in these situations. If you feel yourself going to a place that might elicit tears or a behavior you’d rather your boss not see, excuse yourself to the restroom, your car or take a walk. When you have collected yourself, return. If you do show emotions in a way you’d rather not, apologize for losing your composure, and move forward.
In any of these scenarios, don’t make excuses. Instead, when addressing the situation, keep the information factual, and communicate how you are working to correct the problem. After taking the time to evaluate why a mistake happened or almost happened, the best thing to do is learn the lesson on what you can do to avoid it next time. And, not dwelling on the mistake is equally important. Once you’ve dealt with the issue in an appropriate way, move on.
The upshot is that it’s important not to look at mistakes as something negative: in fact, learning from these experiences allows you to show both leadership and strong character in the workplace!
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