This isn’t my typical “how to” marketing communications article; but it does have to do with business communication and it happens to be especially relevant to me at the moment. Mistakes: we all make them – right? Yet who hasn’t run across people in business who find it impossible to admit when they DO make a mistake by deflecting blame elsewhere; don’t know how to properly apologize and offer assurances that they will work on the issue that caused the mistake; or simply out and out lie in order to avoid taking responsibility? I know I certainly have. In fact, I once “fired” a customer that was in the liar category. She not only lied when things went wrong – she pointed the finger at my company and its employees. Life is just too short to lose sleep over people like that…
I was recently reminded of the RIGHT way to handle a personal business mistake when I had ads that went out with uncorrected errors for a client. The uncorrected errors were the result of both my own and my graphic designer’s carelessness. For me personally, it was a case of too many deadlines crashing in at once (I was about to leave on vacation), too much distraction (children visiting from out of the country), and relying too heavily on my graphic designer to get it right. I’m not blaming my graphic designer. I’m the account executive and art director; I’m the one directing the designer; and I’m the one who should ensure that every communication that goes out for my clients are exactly what they expect.
I knew before the magazines hit the streets that the ads contained errors. There’s always that moment when you realize you’ve made a mistake and this is the moral turning point. It’s the time when you either pull up your big girl (or boy) panties and proactively address the situation; start looking around for a scape goat; start working on the cover up lie; or just plain stick your head in the sand and hope nobody discovers what happened. (Of course, I chose to take the proactive approach.)
Regardless of whom the mistake affected (customer; your employer; co-worker, vendor, etc.) or what the consequences were as a result of the mistake, here are some steps to follow the next time YOU screw up royally in business.
Act quickly. An apology seems forced when your mistake becomes known to the entire world. Take the Importance Of Small Scale Industries high road – as soon as you realize the mistake, communicate with those who will be affected by it.
When possible, apologize in person. Someone very wise encouraged me to do this many years ago when I was in a similar situation. It’s a lot harder than sending an email; but it will speak volumes about the sincerity of your apology and the Industrial Production Eurostat strength of your character. When the people you need to apologize to are not within close proximity, a …
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