It’s never easy to admit you were wrong. Knowing when and how to skillfully admit culpability in the workplace is something many people need to learn how to master.
Mistakes will happen. How someone accepts responsibility for a blunder can either improve or hurt his or her career track.
Organizational psychologist Ben Dattner, author of The Blame Game offers some guidance and tips on when to say, “My bad” at work.
For employees called out on minor infractions, Dattner suggests a worker just let it go – emphasis is on minor. The time and effort it takes to unravel and explain who is responsible for a small mistake will result in a loss of productivity. In addition, an employee may be perceived as a non-team player by co-workers and management. When errors occur, Dattner also expects workers to do a self audit and ask, “Was there something that I could have done to prevent the misstep?” In certain cases is it better to say, “I could have done better” to a supervisor so that you can move forward.
Let us know if you agree with the author’s advice. How do you handle blame in the workplace? Do you accept responsibility for minor gaffes?
