Whether it’s recklessly painted road markings, signs put up in the most unfortunate places, or hilarious attempts at photoshop that leave everyone confused, it’s easy to laugh at these funny instances of occupational mishaps. But in reality, nobody likes to talk about failure at work, and especially have it posted on 'One Job' for thousands to see.
Everyone knows it’s human to make mistakes. But for many, the idea of taking accountability and facing consequences for their actions often seems like an absolute nightmare. So what happens when you actually fail at work and how can you emerge from the situation with your head held up high? We asked the experts.
#3 The Last Batch Of Spanish Passports Have "PAO" Written As "PA0" And People Cannot Get On Planes Because Of It
Bored Panda reached out to Kyle Elliott, MPA, CHES, the founder and career coach behind Caffeinated Kyle who carries nearly a decade of expertise in Silicon Valley with one simple goal in mind — to help people find jobs they love.
Elliott told us that many of the professionals he speaks with are afraid to vocalize their failures, so the issue seems to be widespread across different industries. "One reason for the quietness around purported failures is that people feel shame when they mess up. This is especially true among people who tie much of their self-worth to their work or define themselves by their jobs," Elliott explained.
"It can be helpful to process feelings of shame, embarrassment, or unworthiness that may arise when you make a mistake," Elliott added. "Also, take time to recognize the positive benefits and advantages of failing at work. Ask yourself if it was truly a failure or merely a learning experience that you can reflect upon."
Kristina Leonardi, a holistic career coach, personal growth expert, speaker, and author of Say It To Make It: Affirmations to Empower the Heart, Mind, Spirit and Soul, explained that another reason why people hate talking about failure is because they equate it with being fired.
"There’s a lot of fear around that," Leonardi said. "The type of failure they experienced may or may not be irreparable, but taking accountability and facing whatever consequences arise as a result is generally going to be the best course of action, and can even engender respect." The career coach advised to own up to your failures, "let the chips fall where they may" and learn the lesson the experience brings.
"It’s only a mistake if you don’t learn anything," Leonardi reminded us of the old adage. "If you do make a mistake, be sure that you forgive yourself after processing what happened and learning the lesson. It’s very important not to keep beating yourself up about it."
Sally Heady, a career coach and cognitive hypnotherapist based in the UK, let us in on the psychology of professional failures. According to her, making a mistake often makes us feel vulnerable as we attach meaning to our failure.
"Instead of simply recognizing a human error or something that didn't work, we make it about us — that the failure is somehow a reflection of who we are and that we've fallen short of our own standards or the standards of others," Heady told Bored Panda.
Not to mention, the judgment we humans place on failure makes it hard for us to accept it. Heady said that mistakes are often swept under the carpet, which creates the assumption that if someone fails: "a) they're incompetent and b) they don't deserve to be in the role they're in. Neither of these assumptions are necessarily true — everyone fails to some degree in their work and often those failures lead to important lessons resulting in greater success further down the line."
Unfortunately, some people become obsessed with avoiding failures at all costs. "That’s how you would define a perfectionist," Leonardi said. "There’s usually an underlying lack of self-worth or deep insecurity with themselves, so trying to control as much as they can is a way many people deal with a fear of not being loved or feeling safe or both."
Cognitive hypnotherapist Heady also added that people who fear making mistakes often take a risk-averse approach to their careers. Sadly, this can result in "toxic over-working, burn-out or deep dissatisfaction in what they do because they haven't dared to take risks that would stretch and satisfy them."
But when it comes to the urge to be flawless at work, it sometimes comes from the employer, not the employees themselves. "The avoidance of failure often arises in workplace cultures that don't allow space for people to make mistakes," Coach Elliott told us. "This can occur when leaders and managers create an environment that breeds perfectionism and doesn't allow people to innovate."
#15 An Apartment Installed New Siding And Choked Their AC Unit By Enclosing It
Alarmingly, forbidding ourselves to experience failure can come at a great cost. It can create a massive amount of stress and anxiety, and even prevent us from learning what we’re capable of. "If we don't let ourselves fail, [...] we have less resilience because we're not flexing the muscle of picking ourselves up after the failure, reflecting and moving forward with greater wisdom," Heady explained.
Working toward a level of perfection that, let’s face it, doesn’t exist, can even lead to burnout. And when failure inevitably arrives, Heady said "we'll take this to heart and see it as a huge personal setback which will slow us down and stop us from learning and growing from the failure. Failure really is a great teacher, even though it's not much fun to go through."
Meanwhile, Elliot argues that if someone has indeed been able to avoid mistakes at work, then they’re likely to have been playing it too safe. "Failure is inevitable at work, particularly as you progress through your career. Learning how to quickly rebound from your mistakes will set you up for a successful career."
Elliot advised employees everywhere to lean into failure. "But don't stop there. Take it a step further and make a habit of failing. You might even find it helpful to set a goal of failing X times per week or month in order to build up your resiliency."
"Another alternative is you are actually making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes, but colleagues don't feel comfortable confronting you about them. Be open to feedback and growth," Elliot added.