|
So, Your Made A Mistake
Of course, mistakes are important. Two facts put those you make in perspective. One, everyone who plays the game makes mistakes. Two, that you make mistakes is not nearly as important as what you do about them. That's hard to remember when you are wallowing in the bed of regret, second-guessing and even being eaten alive by fear that usually follows on the heels of a mistake. Nevertheless, it is true. "The way you follow up on the errors you make has a greater impact on the future of your career than what you did or didn't do wrong," according to Ramon Greenwood, head of CommonSenseAtWork.com. It is worthwhile to restate the axiom that everyone who is out there making an effort to get things done makes mistakes. Carly Fiorini refused to delegate authority and tone down her style while she traipsed around the world like a jet-set celebrity. She made the mistake of defying her board of directors at Hewlett-Packard when they asked her to change her ways and she got booted out as CEO. Kodak lost its market dominance when it failed to anticipate the success of Polaroid. On the other hand, Coca-Cola made a major miscalculation when it decided the world needed a new flavor of its favorite beverage. When the market said, "You made a mistake" the company quickly turned its back on "New Coke." Ford Motor Company pulled off a "Lulu" by producing a dud, the Edsel automobile. It lost no time in dumping the mistake when buyers turned thumbs down. So, mistakes are bound to occur, even among the best of us. TURN MISTAKES INTO LEARNNG EXPERIENCES "Smart careerists learn early in the race to capitalize on mistakes by turning them into learning experiences," says Greenwood. When he was chairman of Quaker Oats Company, William Smithburg declared, "There isn't one senior manager in this company who hasn't been associated with a product that failed, or some project that failed. That includes me. It's like learning to ski. If you're not falling down, you're not learning." The next time you make a mistake, keep in mind the following nine steps that achievers take when they goof up. 1. Don't panic. Follow the admonition of the television commercial, "Never Let Them See You Sweat." 2. Stop long enough to clear your head. Then act pronto. 3. Get the facts so you can define the mistake. 4. Answer these questions. What is the worst thing that can happen? The best outcome? Will the mistake really make any difference one week, one year, five years later? 5. Report the mistake to the boss immediately. It is far better for you to tell him about your mistake than to have it come from others. Help the boss keep it in perspective. A Confucian proverb advises, "Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes." Let the boss and your colleagues know you regret the error. Nothing is likely to infuriate your supervisor and colleagues more than your appearing not to care when you make a mistake. 6. Accept the responsibility for your mistakes. 7. Feel the pain and mourn a little, but for only a little while. You will feel better later. 8. Perform a post-mortem. Look at the facts. How can a repeat performance be avoided? What did you learn from the experience? 9. Forget the mistake; give it a decent burial, but remember the lessons learned. Remember, the only truly unforgivable mistake is to repeat a mistake. Former Senior VP of American Express; professional director, American Express International, financial institutions and consumer goods companies; Senior Careet Counselor, CommonSenseAtWork.com., and consultant to a wide variety of businesses; author of four books including How To Make The World of Work Work For You and a syndicated column, Common Sense At Work.
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Career Searching: A Vision Without A Plan is a Hallucination Success is not always something you necessarily find when you arrive. It may be the journey that gets you there. How To Conduct A Successful Job Search Campaign 1.Define your objective: Know what kind of work you most enjoy and perform the best. This requires self-evaluation, spending time looking at your interests and abilities. Ten Great Careers For Single Parents The challenges of raising a child by yourself, whether you're a mother or father, can be very difficult. Add the burden of having to be out of the home for 40+ hours per week to work and raising a child at the same time can be nearly impossible. This article describes ten careers you can train for that will give you the money to support your child and the time to be there for them. Students Discover Your Niche By Using Career Assessment In our ever changing world where job competition is rampant it can be difficult to understand one's strengths and what one wants to do in life. 3 Creative Job Search Tactics It's a fact: the best jobs attract loads of competition. So it pays to do whatever you can to stand out as a persistent, creative candidate, one that any sane employer would love to hire. Is A Career a Calling or Choice? How much of our career path is destiny and how much is free will? In my opinion, it is 50/50. We are given a life map at the beginning of our lives, and there are things we are meant to learn, people we are meant to meet, work we are meant to perform. But many of us are not tuned into ourselves and the signs that are presented to us. We often miss important information, and miss out on those lessons, people, and jobs. Online Resume Tips and Secrets I manage a website for corporate flight attendants that features resumes prominently listed on the first page of the site. Unlike some careers, corporate flight attendants must promote themselves overtly in order to find work especially if they are contractors. Since adding this feature two years ago, I have learned that an online copy must be arranged differently than that of a hard copy primarily for security reasons. Let's review some of the 'best practices' you need to accomplish in order to successfully and safely promote yourself online. Tips on Finding Employment as a Corporate Flight Attendant I will not pretend that this is the easiest topic to write about. In fact, my knowledge of how one finds work as a private flight attendant is based chiefly on what others have shared with me. You can find some useful tips within the many threads written on the Corporate Flight Attendant Community message boards at http://www.cabinmanagers.com, but to save you from culling through hundreds of threads I will highlight various standout points and include others that have been shared with me over the past several years by industry insiders: Ebook Review: Winning a Job is Easier with Job Secrets Revealed Introduction In Control - Inside Tips on Interview Success No, you can't control how the interview will be conducted, nor can you control the outcome. But you can influence it greatly by the way you present your personality and your skills. Tips for Requesting a Raise You probably think you deserve a raise. But does your boss think so? Write And Get Hired Want to get hired faster than up to 97% of other job seekers? What Is Your Greatest Weakness? The fastest way to make a good interview go bad is to avoid questions posed by the hiring manager. The one question candidates love to avoid is, "What is your greatest weakness?" Most candidates are quick to respond with superficial answers such as "I'm a workaholic" or "I'm a perfectionist." Not only are those responses boring, but they are also predictable answers interviewers are used to hearing. So much so that an interviewer's comeback line often is, "That doesn't sound like a weakness. Now why don't you tell me about a real weakness?" Successful Job Interview Tips Congratulations! You've finally landed that job interview you've been waiting for. Now the real work begins! Remember, resumes don't get jobs; they merely get you in the door. Here's how to make your resume come alive and make a good impression. Genes and Work Ethic If you have good genes, you are blessed. If they are exceptional, you might be successful on that alone. No Degree, No Problem According to a recent survey, 52% of job candidates polled lied on their resume about having a college degree. Here are 3 brief horror stories: A new Director of Logistics and his family were actually loading the moving van provided by his new employer for relocation from California to North Carolina. The phone rang and it was the Human Resource Manager from his new company. The offer was being withdrawn. Through a routine degree verification check, the company learned the potential new employee did not have a degree. He was 3 hours short of graduating. Had the candidate been honest, the job was still his. It was an integrity issue. Five candidates for a high level software sales job were interviewing. After the face to face interviews, the candidates were offered a "grace period" to revise their application. The company was aware of a problem with one canddiate. The lead candidate changed his college degree information to "Did Not Graduate." He was dropped from contention. A candidate for a Vice President of Logistics position for a multi-billion/multi national company was offered the job. However, the background check could not verify the degree as listed on the resume. The stunned candidate said he could fix the problem. After one week, he called and faxed over the degree verification information. Only two blank pieces of paper came out of the fax. He said, "I must have faxed the wrong side." The offer was rescinded the night before his start date because of the integrity issue. The company would have hired him if he had been honest about not having a degree. Offers withdrawn because of "no degree" are not because the lack of a college degree was a "deal breaker." The issue was that each of these high level managers misrepresented themselves on their resume and during the interview. As a search firm, we always encourage candidates to be upfront and candid about the information on the resume, including whether or not they have a college degree. Don't try to hide it amongst several other educational courses you have taken. If you are hiring, ask the candidate directly. It's amazing how many hiring managers "assumed" the candidate graduated. The most deceptive piece on a resume is: University of Any State, 1986-1990. Listing the years but not if they graduated. Common oversight. Most times, if the candidate has a solid background and the chemistry is strong with the organization, the company hires the person. Remember 70% of hiring is Chemistry. Degree isn't the most important factor. Staying In The Game The message came from Human Resources. There's nothing to worry about with the newly announced organizational changes and pending merger, it reassured. The changes will be good for the company and good for the people who work here it coached. Career Killers to Avoid Many professionals and managers are so involved in day-to-day crises and fighting fires that they forget about a key leadership characteristic: self-management. Effective leaders are first of all effective in managing themselves ? their time, their focus, their emotions and their careers. It's too late to figure out what's next for you once your company has merged, had lay offs, changed strategy or whatever. Here are the biggest mistakes leaders make in their careers. Brainteasers: Or, How Many Crazy Interview Questions Does It Take to Get Hired? You've looked at all the job interview tips and techniques. Did your homework and studied all the potential employer interview questions you may be asked. Plus, you've practiced your answers in front of the mirror and in a mock interview. Yep, you're a well-prepared candidate ready to show your stuff. What more does an interviewer seeking a great candidate want? Ask the Recruiter We all have career goals, big or small. Here are some questions I have recieved over the last month from those actively seeking new employment.
|
|
|
Copyright © Advancing Women (TM), 1996- 