The professional #oops
Did you ever have one of those professional moments when you want a do-over? I likely have several if I think about it hard enough but there is one imparticular that makes me cringe every time I think about it. I want a re-do, a try-again, a #professionalmulligan. Here's my confession: I train a lot. Whether virtual or in-person there are many people in my classrooms each year and many topics on which I instruct. In the not-so-distant past I misunderstood a question during a training and gave a lame response. I'm not sure why or how I confused the question. The participant who asked the question looked at me with a quizzical and puzzled look. I moved on and finished the session, but AAAGH -- I want that moment back. It makes me physically cringe when I think about it. So what do we do when we are in need of a do-over?
Right the wrong if you can. In my example here, I can follow up with that participant with an explanation or a better response to the question. I can't get the moment back per se but I can minimize the damage.
Learn from it. It may sound cliche but sometimes it's what we got. Learn why you misstepped and how to prevent that from happening again.
Apply tender mercy. Yep -- usually this means applying it to yourself. You aren't perfect and you are not invincible. These moments keep it real and keep us humble, if we'll let them. Show some mercy to yourself, own your imperfection, and forgive your shortcomings.
The professional #oops is going to happen and while I still cringe when I think of 'that moment,' I will strive to learn from it and do better next time.
-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP
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