Embrace Mistakes as a Chance to Grow

In today’s business climate, people are making decisions faster than ever. That creates more opportunity for mistakes. Just keep in mind that if you’re not making mistakes, you’re not taking any risks—and that could mean you’re not making progress.

Here’s advice on turning around your mistakes:

• Be honest. Never try to cover up mistakes. The earlier you ’fess up, the faster you’ll be able to correct the problem while maintaining your credibility.
• Take responsibility. Your bosses don’t want to hear excuses, and because it’s rare for agents to take that kind of responsibility, it’s a powerful way to show a sense of accountability for your actions (and those of your team).
• Follow up and follow through. Sometimes simple mistakes point to more complex problems that need to be corrected. A thorough evaluation can reveal something about your habits or the work processes that need to improve. Hold a meeting to explore what went wrong and how to avert similar errors.

Use the opportunity to turn around a situation. Mistakes often are prime times for people to turn bad situations into positive ones. Any customer service guru will tell you that a lost policyholder can be the perfect time to provide the best customer service you have to offer.