Made a few mistakes at work lately--how can I defend myself at my review?

[tjdee]

So I've made a few (what I feel to be) significant mistakes at work in the past month. I did get chewed out about the one mistake, but my boss didn't seem to care at all about the second, said it wasn't a big deal. They were fixed quickly, but both had clients calling and going "WTF?", which is unusual.

Without getting too specific, they're oversight mistakes--I failed to notice things I should have, which is one of my primary responsibilities at this job. I don't want her to worry that she has to now doublecheck my work all the time.

My review is on Monday, and I'm sure she'll bring it up... but what can I say besides "I'll try to do better"? I can't think of something that would help me "notice" better... and now I have to listen to how I screwed up, that's not good, etc.... when I already *know* that and have chastised myself quite enough for both of us!

[Shine]

1. Hey, you're only human. Don't beat yourself up too much, friend.

Perhaps you can think of creatively constructive ways to funnel certain information that you're responsible for in such a way so as to "catch it" before it goes to the next level.

That might seem incredibly obvious to you, but it was the first thing that came to mind.

Good luck. It will all work out.

Best,
Shine
:hi:

[tjdee]

5. Thank you....

I tend to worry more than is necessary sometimes, but I do want to fix this...I am trying to think of some ways to correct it, but that's tough.

Thanks for your good thoughts!

[Shine]

32. You're so welcome, my friend. Good luck to you, once again.

:pals:

[hippywife]

2. Totally

fess to the mistakes, if you already haven't, which sounds like you have and then provide her with the steps you plan on taking to prevent any further problems. If you go in with a plan of action laid out, you will look much better. Then follow through.

Hope all goes well for you! :hi:

[tjdee]

6. Thanks!

I have fessed up to the mistakes--it's just the "steps I plan on taking" that's the hard part, and you're right, I'd look better if I go in with a solution.

Basically, I just need to not do what I did, LOL!

[hippywife]

14. You're welcome!

It really does help to demonstrate that you're willing to implement at least a step or two to improve performance. Maybe even go in with them ahead of your performance review.

You've already admitted your mistakes and that's half of the solution. Alot of people look to shift the blame. Shows maturity and responsibility that you've openly owned up to them.

Wish you the best of luck. :)

[Gormy Cuss]

3. Ouch.

Normally it's best to wait to see how much weight such mistakes have on the review, but because they are so recent you don't have much leeway. Before she brings it up, be candid that you have thought long and hard and haven't come up with a solution so you are looking for her guidance. Try to couch your thoughts in analytic terms -- chastisement is the immediate response but not relevant to addressing the problem. Twice in the past month is pretty strong evidence that something isn't right in your approach these days and a good boss will appreciate that you have accepted responsibility and want to remedy the situation.

Good luck.

[petronius]

4. That seems a little iffy to me...

Reminding the boss of recent mistakes and then saying that you've failed to fix them seems like a bad idea. I'd do the opposite: wait for the boss to bring them up, and then list the solutions - preferably solutions that have already been implemented.

If you're asked to initiate topics, I would start with positives - achievements, contributions, money saved, new clients brought in, or whatever.

If the boss specifically asks you to bring up problem areas, then I would bring them up in reverse; i.e. "Well, I have implemented x, y, and z procedures to fix/avoid potential problem such-and-such."

[Gormy Cuss]

9. Normally I would agree, but the OP says she hasn't got solutions.

That and the fact that there's nothing to minimize the freshness make it different in my opinion. I agree that she should remind the boss of her positive accomplishments as part of the discussion. With no solution of her own making an acknowledgement of the problem and displaying the willingness to seek guidance from the boss seems better than glossing over them. Most reviews focus disproportionately on the most recent events no matter how much the review protocol stresses basing it on the whole time frame.

As a reviewer, having an employee come to the table with a positive spin but no solution strategy would suggest to me that the employee did not understand the importance of the issue. I once had a staffer shrug off repeated mistakes in quality control of the product because I had smoothed it out with the client. There was absolutely no acknowledgement that repeating the same error in a short time frame was different from "mistakes happen." Had she identified the problem and an approach to avoid it in the future, it would have been fine. When I asked her how she would handle it differently she had no idea, and the positive outcome from the review was that we worked through some new strategies for her.

At any rate, I hope the OP is getting enough feedback here to help her formulate an approach that is appropriate with her boss.

[tjdee]

16. I think both you and petronius make good points...

The thing is, I completely understand the importance of the issue--so I really am going to have to think of at least one possible solution here, as everyone is suggesting.

I appreciate everyone's thoughts, they are helping me to think the situations through.

[tjdee]

8. So you think it's okay to ask *her* how to fix it?

I don't want to give her *more* work to do (i.e., figuring out how to fix my problems)...but you're right that I haven't come up with a solution, and I'd appreciate her input. I haven't done anything differently--I have done about 10 projects this past month all the same way, and two of them I made mistakes on. They didn't even occur the same day, so it's not like I had one bad day... :shrug:

I just have to work harder to pinpoint what went wrong.

Thanks!

[Gormy Cuss]

15. See my new post

I'll pretend I'm your reviewer.

Boss: Tjdee, I'm concerned about those two mistakes. We need to maintain our usual high standards or the client will lose confidence in us. What went wrong? How will you avoid this sort of error in the future?

Tjdee: As you know, most of the projects I complete do meet or exceed our standards. In the past month I have completed about 10 projects. I have reviewed my approach to all ten and haven't been unable to pinpoint why things went wrong in those two. I considered (list the components, such as time spent, materials or inputs used, overall workload, whatever is relevant for your situation) and I haven't identified any element which would explain how these mistakes happened. I do not want to repeat such mistakes and would really appreciate your assistance. Perhaps we could walk through the process and you can help me identify areas where my approach needs improvement.

Hope everyone's comments are helping.

[tjdee]

24. Much appreciated.

Thanks for that post, because it gives me a good idea of what to say--I'd have a tough time, I think, asking for help in a way that didn't seem insecure and weak. (As a rule I am very uncomfortable asking for help, offline anyway. Bad, I know.) So I very much appreciate your putting it into words that I can tailor to my situation.

And, I would have focused much more on the mistakes instead of saying "most of the projects I complete do meet or exceed our standards". It wouldn't have occurred to me to mention it (although I know that to be the case).

[Kenneth ken]

18. something goes here

You made two mistakes that you didn't notice. Once the mistakes became apparent, the problem was quickly resolved. You're not able to pinpoint what went wrong.

I would say look at what was done to correct the mistakes. In correcting them, it seems to me you (or someone) had to identify what was wrong/missed/whatever and fix that. So where in the project phase should the problems have been caught? How is that part of the project documented and tested and result verified? If there isn't something like that, maybe there needs to be.

Does that help? It makes sense in my mind, but I may not have expressed it well, or maybe it can't be applied to your specific situation.

[tjdee]

21. It does help...

because that's a good way to put it, look at how the problem was solved to see where the problem occurred....I'll have to do some thinking about that.

I am the last filter (for lack of a better term). Although there are checkpoints and one of the problems should have been fixed before the project reached me, I have to make sure it goes out with no problems.

Thank you!

[cleofus1]

7. explore the "why"

why did you fail to notice these things...if you can figure that out then you can figure out how you can fix the problem...admit your error tell her why it happened and explain to her the steps you are taking to make sure it does not happen again....

[tjdee]

12. Now that I'm thinking about it....

I think I know what happened with the first mistake. The second one, I really don't know. I just missed it.

Actually, it's funny because with the second mistake I did catch a lot of what I was supposed to...but what I missed was kind of big. :eyes: Geez!

I'll just have to do some more thinking....thank you for the advice!

[Peter Frank]

20. Maybe a Dumb Thought but...

Is a checklist suitable for the kind of work you do?

If you already have one, can modifying it help prevent unpleasant surprises?

[tjdee]

23. Yes and no.

Since starting this thread and reading the replies, I'm wondering if I may be able to create something. When I began this job I considered one and discarded the idea because the projects we do aren't enough alike for a checklist to be helpful...

But I might be able to do something like it. Need to think about it some more. :)

[Floogeldy]

10. Devise a safeguard or procedure that will keep it from happening again.

If she brings it up, explain to her how you've alleviated the problem in the future.

[tjdee]

25. Thank you...

I'm trying to do some thinking so I can do that..thanks for your post!

[Deja Q]

11. Something similar happened to me.

Just use enough verbiage to say how you will do better. (Writing down extra notes, use a PDA, tick off a list of procedures, et al. Assuming those things help your specific situation.)

And if it's only two incidents total, you likely have nothing to worry about. Unless you've got someone psycho for a boss who won't give you the time of day to explain your point of view (which you've got every right to.)

[tjdee]

19. She's a pretty good boss...

She's not even a Republican!

Yeah--since everyone's saying to say *how* I'll do better, I guess I better think of something (or use what Gormy Cuss said above!).

[Lady President]

13. Couple thoughts

First, have there been changes in your job that could have contributed to your mistake? The most obvious examples would be that the volume of your work has increased which makes oversight more difficult, or you have new responsibilities.

Second, how you plan to keep the mistake from happening again. I'm not sure what you do, but could you track your work differently? Some type of log or spreadsheet to show what has been completed for each project.

Finally, have something prepared, but don't bring up the mistakes. Your boss might not be as upset as you are with yourself.

Good luck! :)

[tjdee]

17. There have been changes, but not in the past month, LOL.

I have kind of taken on two jobs at this point, and the mistakes made *were* part of my "old" job. But, I started doing both jobs long enough ago that I don't think it's a factor.

If my boss doesn't bring up the mistakes, do you think I should?

[UTUSN]

22. The Wisest Advice from the Most Understanding Boss

I ever got was:

"Don't let fear of making a mistake tie you up. There's nothing that can't be fixed."

That said, did the errors have something in common? Were they downright irresponsible? Were they one-time, random things?

In other words, bring up these questions at your conference (with some answers). This would show that you are analyzing for root causes and for prevention. And that you recognize the seriousness.

[democracyindanger]

26. Blame faulty intelligence and Democrats.

[Mutley]

27. Make a list of everything you've done right since your last review.

You're only human, and humans make mistakes. Hopefully your boss will realize that.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

28. dont go on the defensive

instead try to focus on your learnings from these mistakes

[SOteric]

29. Don't defend yourself at all, just admit to the mistakes,

and tell her of whatever plan you've put in place to make sure this sort of thing doesn't happen again. I recommend double-checking your work whenever possible and a personal plan to make sure that you've sleep a full 8 hours.

Good luck, and don't fret too much. Everyone makes mistakes.

[Ellen Forradalom]

30. Whatever steps you take to prevent further mistakes

keep them simple. Don't get tied up in knots about it happening again. Everyone else here is right; everyone makes mistakes.

[Maestro]

31. When doing reviews one must look at the totality of work

If these two mistakes were quickly fixed and one was admittedly a "no big deal" I would say you are fine. If the rest of your work is done well with just these two mishaps, I would focus on what you do well and not just two mistakes. Plus the sign of an intelligent individual is one that admit mistakes and takes them as learning experiences. If she brings them up explain to her that you certainly made the mistakes but you have learned from them and now know what to do so as not to repeat the same mistakes.