What to do when an employee makes a mistake 

Absolutely! I can't tell you how many times I have seen bad bosses criticize in public. Very bad for the employee and for the boss!

@@leadershiprollcall precisely, but it was a challenging task on how to manage everything specially disciplining if it was not your nature. Roll call , I will practice this message " Praise in public , Disciple in private. Thank you

Or, if you’re my boss, praise never, discipline whenever

You are 100% correct! You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve seen bosses (not leaders) discipline employees in front of others thinking that it will “be good for the rest of the group to hear.” All it does is embarrass the employee and make them resentful.

Much appreciated! Thank you!

Thank you very much for those kind words! I am pleased you find the videos worthwhile and I appreciate your comments. Thank you!

Thank you! Good luck!

Thank you! Please let me know if there is a topic you would like covered.

Thank you, Adam!

Thank you so much! You made my day!

Thank you!

Thank you!

So glad to help! Good luck!

Thank you Holly!

Ugh. It sounds like a bad culture at your work. I've had a job where I worked and dealt with the same issues. Unfortunately, if the leaders of the company don't care, it is hard to change a culture. The best thing to do is A) make sure you do your work as well as possible and B) make sure your employees that report to you do their work. If an employee continues to make mistakes, see what you can do to provide coaching. Possibly pair them up with a more experienced co-worker. Provide additional training. Good luck!

Ariel, thank you for reaching out. You seem to have a good grasp on what it takes to be a leader by knowing the situation and wanting to encourage your employee. You mentioned that he wants to "assume the responsibility" that you have. Is there a way to give this person part of your responsibility? Instead of the entire responsibility? Is there a way to give this person some other responsibility that may not be yours entirely? I agree that you want to encourage a strong employee. If at all possible, I would try to find them something to be responsible for and help them develop. Let me know when you can and good luck!

Great to hear! Thank you! Let me know if you get the job!

Thank you and I love the attitude! Good luck!

I am so sorry to hear this. unfortunately, most managers are put into a position and not given any direction or adequate training to do their job properly. That sounds like the case here. You basically have two choices, 1) not say anything and hope for the best. This course of action (or inaction) will most assuredly result in your bosses eventually finding out AND they will wonder why you didn't say anything. They will wonder if you are shifty with no integrity or just incompetent. 2) is to tell them everything. The downside of this is you might get in trouble if your bosses are not understanding. However, the upside is it shows you have integrity and that you are competent due to the fact you found the mistake. In doing this, you can apologize for not catching it sooner and at the same time, request the proper training needed to learn the correct process. Giving them an excuse is better than showing a lack of integrity. Good luck with this and please let me know how it turns out!

I hate to hear the lack of confidence! Surely, there are some instances of doing good work. I would recommend looking at the mistakes you made and ask yourself why you made them. Could it be a lack of training? A lack of guidance? Ask your supervisor to pair you up with someone that does great work and try to learn from them. Don't give up!

The good news is, it's been 15 years so hopefully the policies and people that were there during that time are long gone. This might be something you bring up to your new bosses. Let them know how that decision had an impact on you. Good luck and let me know how it goes!

@@leadershiprollcallthey have an at will policy. Everyone who works there is an employee at will, meaning you can quit anytime without notice and for any reason. And likewise they can let you go anytime without any notice and for any reason. This is what terrifies me. I am self employed with a small business and im afraid to give it up for a job that doesn't have any security

Cheryl, so sorry to hear about your experience. I've had some bad bosses in my past, though nothing like what you experienced. I wish you well in your search!

First off, good luck with getting the job! Every first time supervisor is nervous. Think back to your past and hopefully you have had good bosses. What did they do to make them a good boss? If they did something well try to emulate them. To answer your question, training is preparing an employee for a role or position. A new supervisor would get supervisory training so they know what to do and what not to do as a new supervisor. A person driving a bulldozer would get training in how to drive a bulldozer to ensure they do it properly. Training is simply teaching someone new skills. As a new supervisor, I hope your company sends you to a training course on how to be a supervisor. A training course does not prepare you for EVERYTHING you need as a supervisor but it certainly helps. Again good luck and let me know how I can help!

Dennar, normally, an employee cannot be "forced" to literally pay for an accounting mistake. However, rules are different in every country. I would ask other employees where you work if this is a normal practice. Good luck!

Ahhh... the micro-manager! Yes, I have had some in my life. And I have made mistakes and have received the same direction you have been given. Fortunately, there is a way to get out of the doghouse but unfortunately, it will take some time. Do what they want for now, and do it well. You will have to prove to them that you can do this without mistakes and regain their trust. It sucks and is time consuming but you can eventually get there.

Jake, I could not agree more! Very good points! I love it when bosses say, "If you don't make mistakes, you aren't trying hard enough." Good bosses know mistakes will be made but for employees to push themselves, good bosses give them that latitude. Excellent points!

Jake, you are absolutely correct! When a boss allows their employees to make mistakes, in an effort to improve, it increases morale for the whole team.

You might find that feedback works wonders.

Good luck! Let me know how it goes!

Cindy, thank you for the question. As a supervisor, one of our jobs is to get our workers to perform. As diverse as the workforce is, so must our approaches be. However, sometimes there are those workers who, for whatever reason, do not perform. Obviously, you want to coach them, talk with them, and try to understand why they are not performing. It sounds like you have done that. At some point, however, you have to take measures to ensure that one person's lack of performance is not affecting the rest of your team. If the non-performing worker continues to "get away with it," then it can de-motivate the rest of the workforce. When that happens, it's time to bring Human Resources into the picture. HOPEFULLY, all the measures you have taken have been documented. Working with HR, you outline to the non-performing worker the consequences and give them a timeline. If they don't show improvement by a given time, it's time to cut your losses and move on from that worker. I wish you success in your efforts. Good luck!

Ric, great question! It sounds like a situation where you need to put an investigator hat on and find out "why" this keeps happening? Is the procedure complicated? How was this person trained? How many people have made the same mistake? I would suggest sitting down with the person and discussing this issue. Find out what they are saying the issue is. Send them through remedial training. Create a step-by-step job guide for them to follow. Pair them up with an experienced person and let them shadow them to see how it is supposed to be done. It sounds like this person is a good employee. If so, create an environment where they can ask questions and opinions and not be afraid to do that. Let me know how it goes!

@@leadershiprollcall I mean in a production setting mistakes will always happen. its why we have a quality control position to catch them before they go out. I was the employee but i got the book thrown at me by a brand new manger for a mistake we all make from time to time. I ultimately was fired for becoming ill, fmla violations, the whole nine yards(they broke the law many times, knew they were and just didnt care). I think this manger was just showing his dominance in a completely unprofessional way. He wanted me gone.

@@Flexyourmemes Now i understand. Yes, indeed that supervisor was ill-suited to be a supervisor. Employees will make mistakes. No one can expect a mistake-free environment. It sounds like its a good thing you don't work there anymore. Good luck on your next role.

I am so sorry to hear that! No feedback is sometimes worse than bad feedback. It puts you in a constant state of the unknown. Is there a way to ask for feedback? It could be something simple like, "I'd like to hear your thoughts on my work on Project X." Or, "Is there anything I could have done better?" If you keep asking, "maybe" your supervisor will get the hint that they should give you some feedback. Sometimes supervisors don't realize they don't give feedback and I had a supervisor in the past say, "If you don't hear from me, that means you are doing well." Well that is old-school thinking and it sucks. I would recommend reaching out to your supervisor and just letting them know, "I am sometimes unsure if I did a good job or not and it would really help me if you were to give me feedback. That way, I can correct mistakes and also know what I am doing correctly." Let me know how it goes and good luck!

@@leadershiprollcall ohhh that’s great advise -!!! My partners are kind to my mistakes lmao 3 years in and I screw up a small address on property disposition :( no one caught it either :( I fear if I do ask. It will be a Pandora box 📦 too late too much to say

@@quarantinekitchen6909 Good luck and let me know how it goes!