Admitting Mistakes at Work: Importance, Impact, and Growth Opportunities

Dear Seniors,

I've tried a lot to ponder over this question, but I could not reach a convenient answer. Please, seniors, can you kindly share with me your opinions on whether we should admit a mistake at work.

Kind Regards,
Avarna

Hi Avarna,

Assume you have made a mistake, and if it's been identified by the superiors, the best thing is to admit it. Tell them that you won't repeat it in the future. Hopefully, they will forgive you.

Hi,

Yes, one should admit the mistake at the workplace. But, be polite and ensure that it is not repeated. If it is repeated time and time again, one has to say sorry repeatedly, then that person will lose the confidence of seniors or colleagues, even if he is a genuine person.

Regards,
Harshad

After making a mistake at work, admit it with an open mind and learn from it.

By Marlia

The crime is not making a mistake; it is not learning from that mistake. In my eyes, admitting a mistake is quite correct. Covering one up is fraught with problems.

Thank you, Sparky, Marlia, Harshad, Ramesh Bashyam, and Anonymousa for your responses. I received five replies, all advising me to admit my mistake. I will heed your advice and hope for forgiveness. A special thank you to Sparky for the particularly motivating response. Many thanks.

Regards,
Avarna

Dear Avarna,

What's the mistake? First, identify if it is a mistake at all, and then proceed to admitting it.

Hello Avarna,

If it is a mistake and you did that without your knowledge, then why worry? You can just take it as "It's just a mistake"... Admitting a mistake is the best quality of a human being.

I sincerely appreciate that you took this topic for discussion onto the mistake you have made. Rock on, dude... ;)

This reminds me of the adage my father used to quote, "He who lies and lies to hide it makes it two".

At the workplace or otherwise, if you commit a mistake, admit it. Admitting mistakes is only a small portion of it though. Admit it, apologize for it - and when you do apologize, mean it. If you do something wrong, admit it, say sorry, and do it again, there will be no value to your apology. Soon, you will lose respect and credibility.

If you do something wrong, accept it, and sincerely apologize. Take responsibility for your actions that resulted in the wrongdoing. Analyze it, figure out how to make it right, and do whatever it takes to make it right. And never repeat it.

We are not born as perfectionists. We learn things, and if by chance some mistake happens, we should learn from that and should not repeat it in the future.

Even our seniors might have made mistakes when they were juniors.

There cannot be two opinions about it. If it is your 'first' mistake, do admit it and make sure you do not repeat it. "Mistake is the price we pay for 'learning'... no point in paying the price again and again, or refusing to learn."

Hello Everyone,

I am an MBA student specializing in HR. Can anybody guide me on certain measures to be taken for improving my written communication?

Thank you,
Regards,
KLD

I guess once you identify it's a mistake, try to find the solution to correct that mistake and admit it.

Thanks to all the seniors for their valuable advice. What I believe is, if you are able to rectify the mistake on your own, there is no need to bring it to the notice of superiors. Once you have realized that you have made a mistake, immediately try to resolve it.

What I have seen in personal and official life is, once you sincerely go to your senior and admit the mistake, he will start lecturing and so on. It's better not to ruin our and his/her mood. Simply try to rectify the mistakes, that's it.

There is a very old saying that "NEVER GO TO YOUR BOSS WITH A PROBLEM UNLESS YOU HAVE A SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM."

Regards,
Ramdev Rathi

Wow, thank you Ash, Matthew, Maheshb, and Nashbramhall.

You really made me feel relieved now; I feel lighter.

In fact, I work in the customer care department of an IT Company, and I completely forgot about a delivery of a printer which was quite urgent. I was overloaded with work, and this is the only reason I forgot about the delivery. The client phoned back and was so angry and irritated. He said he'll complain about this irresponsibility to my GM. Thank God my GM was overseas; he came back only yesterday, and the first thing I did on his return was to admit the mistake I made.

To my astonishment, my GM said the following, "You're a genius because forgetting is the quality of geniuses." He knew I didn't make the mistake deliberately but told me to be more cautious next time. I didn't know my boss would be so understanding. I was very afraid to admit my mistake, but when I read your advice, I felt that's exactly what I should do. Whatever action my GM would take against me, I have to admit the mistake and speak the truth. Thanks again to all of you.

Warm Regards,

Avarna

Dear Avarna,

Good job! This happens to most of us; we tend to forget the one important thing, not deliberately or not because we considered that to be of less importance. Thanks for sharing the "mistake"; let's call that an accident. Good luck to you!

Many thanks to ALWAR, GRADIENT, SOMGOLLAKOTA, SAVITA, RAJ KUMAR, HANSDAH, LEENAKHANOLKAR, JOY.WIN, AND RAMDEVRATHI.

Thanks so much again and again.

Kind Regards,

Avarna

Hmm, interesting.

If your boss takes credit for all your work, then make mistakes and don't let him know. When it's your turn to take credit, don't make any.

As it was said - 'Err to human', no one is exempted from committing mistakes. The number of mistakes that each one of us commits may vary. Broadly speaking, mistakes are of two kinds as far as I know. The first category includes those mistakes which we commit knowingly, and the second one includes what we commit unknowingly. The first category is excusable, whereas the second one is not. However, it is important to repent for the mistakes that we make in our life. The question of repenting arises only when we accept the mistake, whether it is at the office or outside the office. Thus, I advise you to always accept your mistakes. Otherwise, you may have to make a number of further mistakes to cover up the mistake you are trying to disown.

- Kashinatham Chitturi

Hello Avarna,

I am not saying that we should commit a mistake, but it is also true that if you have not committed any mistakes, it means you have not tried any innovative or challenging work. Thus, mistakes can be made while doing or learning any work for the first time. The best point lies in how you react to those mistakes. If you learn from the mistakes, they will no longer be considered mistakes; instead, they will become valuable learning experiences. So, never be afraid to start new work.

Thank you.

It all depends upon how predatory your unit's culture is. If you believe that there are creatures out there who could be baying for your role, then the best option is to let the auditors discover it (if at all they can). If you believe that the culture is conducive to take such a risk, then of course you can place a bet. But practically speaking, since organizations are nothing but extensions of society, I would suggest you avoid all such reckless disclosures if you are working in India.

Dear Avarna,

Please learn from this DIVINE experience of your GM calling you a Genius, in spite of you making a mistake, especially concerning Customer Service.
1. Customer is God! If he or she were not there, your services would not be needed.
2. To err is human, to forgive is divine - you have proved to be human and your GM has proved to be divine.
Now learn from this experience that YOU HAVE TO BE DIVINE! Treat your subordinates with compassion.
Learn to develop at least four hands like a god so that you can manage multiple tasks at one time. It's an art which you may surely cultivate. And NEVER give excuses, not even to yourself.

Regards,
Dr. VS Rege
Faculty - Health Care Management (mistakes and errors in the Health Care Industry can prove very costly)

I think you have made a mistake, but not a blunder, as mistakes collectively make a blunder. There is no harm in admitting our mistakes because no one is perfect in this world. If somebody comes to know that he has made a mistake, then he should ponder for a while to learn a new thing in his or her life.

Jarrar from Pakistan

Thank you again, Alwar and vsrege, for your excellent advice. I will always respect my GM for acknowledging my potential, even though I made mistakes. I will strive to be dedicated and committed to my work.

I appreciate CiteHr for providing this excellent forum where we can receive valuable guidance from advisors like you.

Thank you a million,
Avarna.

Hi, Avarna,
Don't argue for other people's weaknesses. Don't argue for your own. When you make a mistake, admit it, correct it, and learn from it - immediately.
Mistakes are lessons of Wisdom. When you make a mistake, don’t look back as it for long. Take the lesson and move forward.
Although the past cannot be changed; How to shape the future is still in your hands.
One mistake is a great teacher; two mistakes is one too many. Remember; don't fall down on the same stone twice.
Cheers,
John

Dear Avarna,

From your question, it appears you are uncomfortable with your mistake. When it is realized that a mistake has occurred, it is better to admit it voluntarily. It increases your personal credibility and testifies to your values. Otherwise, the prick of conscience will gnaw at you continuously for some time. The threat of being exposed sooner or later will also add to your tension. It is seen that many times the mistake admitted voluntarily is readily forgiven and forgotten. For that matter, who has not made a mistake in their life!

KK

Dear Avarna,

In retrospect, after you have recounted the incident, I would like to say that it was a "slip" - which means an 'omission' (one fails to perform something); and not a "mistake" - which is generally a 'commission' (one commits an act which is either wrong or should not be committed). Hope you will find these fine distinctions useful.

In general, minor 'omissions' and 'commissions' are excusable. In case of "omissions", if the consequences are of a grave nature, then it is punishable. For example, doctors are generally penalized for "omissions" as well.

Warm regards.

Avarna, good day.

The only person that doesn't make a mistake is the person who is doing nothing. We all make mistakes. The key is did we learn something from that experience?

Dr. Marc

PS 63:7