Something you did just lost the company its biggest paying client.
The phone rings; giant beads of sweat start to gather on your forehead, your heart races and you know instantly what’s coming.
You answer the phone with a meek “Hello”? Your manager is at the other end and responds, “We have a serious problem”.
You’ve been preparing for this moment, for days it seems, but you’ve been avoiding it at all costs. Now you ask yourself, what do I do next?
You can:
- Curl up in the foetal position under your desk
- Lock yourself in a room and play songs about rainbows
- Sit in a corner in a catatonic state
- Start spreading rumours about the boss while cackling like an evil witch
- Run screaming from the phone
Or preferably:
- Pull yourself together
- Recognise the mistake
- Assess the situation and work out what needs to be fixed
- Gather as much information as you can
- Plan to resolve the issue
- Talk to colleagues and managers and suggest a way forward
- Make amends as best you can
Just because you sometimes fall flat on your face, make a mistake, and monumentally stuff up, doesn’t mean you can’t show your true colours and try to make things right. It might work, it might not, but at least you’ve shown that you’re not willing to give up any time soon.
