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I make mistakes (and I bounce back)

I hate making mistakes.  I love my luxurious fantasy of perfection.  And today my humanity, my imperfection shone through fiery.  I hung in there and cleaned it up.

I've learned, you just tell people you screwed up.  Say how you're going to fix it immediately, and how you're protecting it from happening going forward.  It matters little whether anybody else had anything to do with it.  Throw no one under the bus, however, you may want to bring them in on the effect the error had and get their buy in for the proactive solution for future transactions.

Truth is, things move so fast that especially with transactional work, there are bound to be errors now and then.  The time it takes to be perfect would result in paralysis.  It's that magical balance between getting it done (and maybe having to beg forgiveness) and taking so long to deliver that by the time you do deliver, it's too late to be of any use (especially since you've now teed off your colleague by being so slow to respond.)

That magic space of having asked the right probing questions, done the right collaboration successfully navigating the right relationships well, executed the right tasks and delivered within the right time period is where effectiveness lies.

There are people in organizations: piss them off once and you've lost them forever.  Sometimes you're in very good company around that, however, try to win as many over as you can with thoughtful, consistently good work.  Transactional work, to tactical work to strategic, forming good business relationships with key stakeholders and being therefore seen as a partner towards the success of the enterprise as a whole.

Work Well.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi Karl,

its Niasia Johnson, though not sure if you would remember me, but I interned/temped at MTV from April 2006 to Sept. 2006 in the HR Department, working under Amy Chan and then moved intothe Integrated Marketing Department late sept 2006. I found your website under Shantelena's Linkedin Acct and been a follower ever since. From reading your blog, i have found it to be very inspirational and motivating at times when i get discouraged at work and even in life. Im still trying to figure this thing called life out and what it is exactly i would like to do. I am currently working for a non-profit organization as an HR Coordinator/Administrative Assistant. I often have problems because i feel at times i make far tooo many mistakes to be at the level i am working at and easily get discouraged!! I put in my mind that everyday will be different but then i feel that it goes back to being the same, with constant mistakes. I am grateful that my employer/boss has patience but i feel the day will come where she will decide that enough is enough and she will have to let me go. I know this comment may be all over the place, but I am asking for a little advise as on the steps i can make to improve a situation like this.

Thanks,
Niasia
Anonymous said…
Its Niasia again, I dont have any of the log-ins to choose and identity that is why i posted my comment as anonymous. I can be reached at ninajo@att.blackberry.net.
WorkWellGroups said…
Niasia, I'll definitely reach out. I've figured my way out by bumbling along sometimes myself. I somehow have found this vein of gold in my life at this particular time. There were years of searching. In hindsight, I'd have tried to enjoy those "question mark" years more. There's something to love about every minute, every day no matter how uncertain the future seems. Assess what's good about now, and what you'd rather live without. That will steer you well. Happy to chat when we can make time.

k

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