Yes, it’s okay to make mistakes at work

Everyone makes mistakes at work, and that’s okay. What’s most important is owning your missteps and learning from them to help you grow in the future.

Your biggest nightmare has become a reality—you’ve made a pretty big mistake at work and now you have to deal with it. Pause. Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay.

Most of us feel uncomfortable or embarrassed when making mistakes at work. The fear of making mistakes can lead you to fee stressed out about all the things you don’t know. I experienced this stress and fear when I first started working at a fortune 500 company. Every day I dreaded opening my work email, afraid that there would be a thread about some mistake I’d made the day prior.

It wasn’t until one of my supervisors told me “If you make a mistake, there’s always a way to fix it” that I was able to let the prior anxiety go. That one, candid conversation was all it took for the weight to be lifted off my shoulders. From that moment on I chose to view my mistakes in a different light.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you make mistakes at work, and how you can quickly rebound from them

Own your mistakes

This is step one. Acknowledge the mistake you made without being overly apologetic. If someone else noticed your mistake, thank them for the callout and assure them that you will rectify the situation.

Ask for help

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s okay if your manager needs to step in to help fix an error you’ve made. It’s also okay to ask for someone to walk you through a process or system if you get stuck. Make sure you take notes to help you if you get stuck again in the future.

Keep things in perspective

Making mistakes can be embarrassing and cause us to be hard on ourselves. Remind yourself that nearly all mistakes can be fixed and it’s likely not as bad as you think. Also bear in mind that this is a learning opportunity for you. Keeping things in perspective can help manage your anxiety about the situation.

Whether you’re new to your career or a veteran there’s always something to learn. In making mistakes we can learn not only how to improve our process but when to ask for help. Let go of the idea that you have to be perfect in your career and you’ll find yourself much happier in the long run. Always put your best foot forward and if you make mistakes along the way, that’s okay.

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