Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.
Stephen Covey
Erring on the job or failing at an assignment is natural and expected. He who does not err does not work.
How we handle our mistakes greatly impacts our careers.
Our natural tendency is to cover up our mistake and put the blame on someone else. We do not want to be viewed as incompetent or prone to mistakes. Our reputation is very important. Shifting the blame to others can have short-term benefits. You protect yourself from reprimands and the negative perceptions of others. Yet, the long-term benefits of honesty and transparency far outweigh the short-term benefits of cover-up.
Cover-ups and blame shifting are eventually uncovered. You can get away with them for only a given period. Sooner or later, people will catch on to your pattern of cover-ups and blame shifting, and will label you as dishonest. They will question everything you say, and perhaps, even the motivations behind much of what you do. You lose credibility and people no longer believe you, even when you tell the truth.
Such people cannot succeed at work or in their personal lives.
Admitting your mistake may temporarily upset your colleagues and supervisor, but will build your reputation as an honest person. People will believe in and trust you. In addition, it will open a door that enables you and your supervisor to assess what went wrong and how to prevent the same mistake from happening in the future. Through the process, you demonstrate a willingness to learn and grow in knowledge and experience.
The long-term benefits of honesty and trust far outweigh the short-term gains of cover-ups. Furthermore, the short-term “harm” caused by honesty is miniscule compared with the damage caused to one’s reputation and the missed opportunity for you to grow.
The best way to handle mistakes is to admit to having made them, analyze how to correct them, and to improve oneself so as to avoid repeating them.
Honesty is always the best policy.
Harout Nercessian
