So, I decided to take on this big project at work to impress my boss. I thought I could handle it because, you know, I’ve done similar tasks before, just on a smaller scale. Well, I was wrong. I ended up taking on way more than I could chew. I didn’t properly plan, skipped some important steps, and honestly had no idea how to manage the team to get things done on time. Long story short, the project was a mess, and now I’m scrambling to fix my mistakes while trying to salvage my reputation at work. The worst part is that my boss has started questioning my judgment. I feel like I’ve set myself back a few steps, and now I’m wondering if I should’ve just stuck to my usual routine.
Has anyone else made a huge mistake like this at work? How did you recover from it? What would you have done differently?
TL;DR: Tried to impress my boss by taking on a big project, ended up messing it up and now I’m scrambling to fix it.
Comments
The best thing to do is show that you are willing to work hard to fix any mistakes you’ve made.
Admit your err in judgement and loop your boss in. Don’t let it snowball. Then once the project is done and you have the time, go back, figure out your missteps and learn from it.
Loop in your boss. Ask for help on how you can fix this. Have some pointers ready and leave some questions open for your boss to answer.
After the project, plan a feedback session with your boss and participants in the project on how you could perform better.
People generally appreciate proactivity. A good reactive approach could actually be worse then a bad proactive approach. With the first there were no learning oppertunities while with the second you are actively engaged and learning.
I agree with other comments, tell your boss. This falls under the category of “I wish I listened” or “I wish I knew that sooner”.
I’ve been managing teams of various sizes for almost 10 years now. Before I was in management I was often afraid to ask for help because of the optics you laid out. Now that I’ve managed, coached, and promoted people one quality that is high on my list is the ability to ask for help.
In addition to the eq self awareness and emotional component, it also shows you understand when to value the company over yourself.
Plus, if it’s a big project that has visibility above your boss then he is a stakeholder and should be involved.
When you move to bigger projects, the processes you’re used to doing that made things work don’t hold up. So … it makes things hard while you figure it out.
Go talk to your boss and get some help. And just be clear that you’re learning from this, and next time you’ll do better.
I never mind making mistakes, I just don’t like repeating them. So do make sure you’re using this opportunity to figure out how to do it better next time!
My first job out of college was working for Bed Bath & Beyond marketing department. I helped set up an in-store product demo. I enjoyed that so decided to arrange another one without authorization or approval. The product I picked, it turns out, was made in the UK. It became a big problem for the selected store and the Buyer for that product (who was never looped in by me) until the head of marketing had to step in and squash the whole thing.
I wasn’t fired but the limits of the duties of my position were, shall we say, severely explained to me.