We’ve seen a few posts lately from people who have made mistakes in good faith - and I’ve certainly made a couple of them in my career. In fact, a client notified us of one recently which went back to December where an item had been charged incorrectly. It was easily resolved by providing a refund to the customer and apologising for any inconvenience caused. Fortunately for me, the customer was extremely understanding, and no lasting damage was caused.
Everyone makes mistakes! Providing we do our best to take ownership and correct it, mistakes should not destroy your business. Not everyone learns from their mistake though and it is surprising how many people do not see the value in resolving a mistake and are frightened to admit their error or provide a solution.
Take Immediate Ownership
Often people are too embarrassed to admit their mistake and either try to pretend it never happened, or they look to cover it up or deflect blame on someone else. It is human nature to make a mistake, and so the best advice would be to:
Repair Your Reputation
Providing you take ownership of your mistake and aim to fix it, you should retain your credibility and trust. In fact, as a result of making a mistake, we often find ways to improve how we work or improve our processes.
I for one appreciate other people being honest and real, and how you handle a situation like this goes a long way toward earning and keeping your clients respect.
Don’t Beat Yourself Up About it
There’s no point in dwelling on our mistakes and failures – we must learn from them! The best thing to do is admit the mistake, deal with it appropriately and move on!
Remember, we all make mistakes, and as awful as it feels when it happens, you will recover and those involved will move on. In fact, if handled right, a mistake can do more to impress your clients than to tarnish their view of your business.
Everyone makes mistakes! Providing we do our best to take ownership and correct it, mistakes should not destroy your business. Not everyone learns from their mistake though and it is surprising how many people do not see the value in resolving a mistake and are frightened to admit their error or provide a solution.
Take Immediate Ownership
Often people are too embarrassed to admit their mistake and either try to pretend it never happened, or they look to cover it up or deflect blame on someone else. It is human nature to make a mistake, and so the best advice would be to:
- Take ownership
- Apologise to those involved
- Assess the situation rationally and look to plan how you can fix it
Repair Your Reputation
Providing you take ownership of your mistake and aim to fix it, you should retain your credibility and trust. In fact, as a result of making a mistake, we often find ways to improve how we work or improve our processes.
I for one appreciate other people being honest and real, and how you handle a situation like this goes a long way toward earning and keeping your clients respect.
Don’t Beat Yourself Up About it
There’s no point in dwelling on our mistakes and failures – we must learn from them! The best thing to do is admit the mistake, deal with it appropriately and move on!
Remember, we all make mistakes, and as awful as it feels when it happens, you will recover and those involved will move on. In fact, if handled right, a mistake can do more to impress your clients than to tarnish their view of your business.
RSS Feed
