How to React When Your Employee Makes a Mistake

Hall of famer and basketball coach John Wooden said, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not doing anything.” However, when your employee makes a blunder that affects progress with an important project or interactions with a client, it’s hard to see the value in that quote.

Regardless, slip-ups happen. Honest mistake or not, the best way to handle this type of situation is to ensure that your employee understands where he or she went wrong and sees room for improvement–both at the company and beyond.

Let them own up to their mistake.

If you know that your employee has made a major misstep in the office, the last thing you want to do is be accusatory. Schedule some time to discuss the issue privately, and let the evidence speak for itself. You can start the meeting off with something like, “I’m not going to assume anything, but I noticed that…” It’s the best way to give your employee the chance to take ownership of his or her actions.

Be supportive.

This may be the hardest step of all – especially if the mistake is one that genuinely hurt your company. However, the objective is for your employee to walk away determined to improve instead of coming out of your meeting thinking, “My boss was so unfair.” Focus on showing support instead of anger, saying something like, “I expected more from you, and I know you’re capable of doing better. Let’s talk about ways we can make sure this doesn’t happen again.” Be upfront with expectations going forward, and lay out clear action items for future success.

Take preventative measures.

Think about how the mistake came about. Was there a rule or regulation that wasn’t clearly outlined or explained? A loophole in a common, company-specific process? Find the weakness that allowed for this mistake and take the necessary measures to prevent it so that your other employees don’t experience similar pitfalls.

Taking these steps establishes mutual respect between you and your employee. Your message will come across calmly and clearly. Your employee will learn not to make the same mistake again, and hopefully, your actions will encourage him or her to go the extra mile to win back your trust.