For some errors, if delay would worsen the situation, you should communicate with your boss promptly or seek help from others. However, if you can handle it yourself and potentially mitigate some loss, you should start dealing with it immediately. Reporting directly to the boss at this moment might delay things further as you explain and coordinate, potentially causing more damage. The priority then is to handle the issue yourself, minimize the loss, and then find an appropriate time to explain to your boss. By actively addressing your mistakes and keeping the company’s loss minimal, your responsibility will also be less.
When reporting to your boss, your language should be concise and to the point. Excessive embellishment might make your boss think you’re trying to cover up your mistakes. However, don’t overly blame yourself either, as this might make the boss attribute all responsibility to you. Just explain the responsibility you should bear clearly. Don’t shift blame to others or discuss others’ responsibilities excessively. The boss will judge the responsibility from their perspective, and emphasizing others’ faults might make the boss think you’re deflecting blame, possibly causing conflicts with colleagues, leading to mutual accusations. Thus, simply state your mistake objectively, give your reasons, and apologize, indicating that you recognize your error.
If your mistakes have led to bias or conflict with your boss, you must actively seek opportunities to reconcile. Don’t wait for the boss to forgive you or even apologize to you. In appropriate situations, make friendly gestures, even if it’s just a greeting or a smile. Generally, bosses also do not wish to deepen conflicts, and even if they don’t immediately show friendliness, it will at least soften the relationship. Then, find opportunities to communicate with your boss to gradually resolve the conflict.
Promotion
Promotion is something every employee hopes for, not only representing better compensation but also greater authority and opportunities for growth. However, it also requires more energy and comes with greater responsibility.
