I hung my head today while cursing quietly under my breath. I knew I had fucked up.
Oh SHIT!
Not intentionally. Not out of stupidity. Not out of malice. Out of pure lack of attention.
And lack of coffee. Yes, I partly blame the lack of coffee. But that is still no excuse.
Sometimes when you think a project is finished - you're wrong. This particular project which I thought I had wrapped up four days ago was returned back to me for more changes. This I didn't mind. It was entirely within the scope of the project and while it delayed the process a little bit, it wasn't a train smash.
A flurry of mails arrived in my inbox early this morning from the client and what I originally thought would be a quick fix, turned into an absolute nightmare. I had overlooked a key fundamental and in the handover process, it screwed up another part of the project workflow which had been put in play earlier. This caused a lot of consternation and a high level of tension between my manager and I. Such a simple thing to overlook, such a tremendous amount of damage it did.
The worst part was that I had essentially been locked out of the project workflow as it had now been handed over to the next team. There wasn't much I could do to rectify it, which left me feeling helpless and useless. I admitted the mistake, offered all the help I could in getting additional support and sincerely apologized. After much swearing at myself, I went in to debrief mode and problem solving.
Sure, it wasn't a life or death situation but on a professional level, it was a fuck up of note. After half an hour I had a feasible solution that I presented. I'm still waiting for feedback. This is going in my checklist of things to double triple check before handover from now on.
It's going to be a long day, but writing about it somehow makes it seem a bit more organised in my head. A lot less chaotic. I'm not washing my hands of it, I'm taking full ownership (own-yer-shit) and it will be rectified, but that won't allow me to feel less responsibility or take less accountability.
~ Pablo Picasso
Things go wrong, to think otherwise is bonkers and irresponsible.
What sets people apart is how they deal with things when it happens: How they think and act, keep people informed, find solutions, make decisions and deploy them, and how they work towards getting the thing sorted. Sometimes there's little time to do so, the battlefield for instance, business too, and sometimes there's more time but either way one must detach, strategize, find a solution and make decisions before re-entering the fray. Like you did.
Well done, now you know more for when you fuck up next time. #winner
Thanks G-Dog, it sucks but it's being handled which is the most important thing in my book. I value transparency as you know, so when I screw up, that's what my clients expect of me - that's why they hired this company in the first place. Reputation matters wherever you go like you say.
I'm just so glad that there is a fix. It could have been SO much worse. We'll see how it pans out.
Thanks for the kindness. It's appreciated. You know I'm not particularly forgiving of myself when I do this kind of stupid shit. Sound like someone you know perchance?
If you get to work and find your stuff in a box out the front then you know things didn't go well. I think you'll go ok though, ownership is valued by good leaders.
Just don't go beating your head on a brick wall as punishment, you might break the wall. Trust me, I've done it a time or two. There's better ways to go, like finding solutions and moving towards them.
💗💗💗💗
Always easier to blame someone else, said 75 percent of the world.
Yes, like that fucktard who didn't even have the decency to check if he'd amputated your arm. What a dumb fuck - people like that deserve a high five to the face with a surf board.
Ah man, will leave that one to karma. Ain't worth me thinking about him..
You are a human being, after all
and you sure own your shit.
Hey Vince, thanks for the compassion. I appreciate it.
Good news is, I got it all sorted out. I'm making things happen today and then it will be all good. Spoke to my client on the phone this morning and he's been so amazingly understanding and appreciative of my honesty. That's what cements and builds work relationships, so I can finally breathe 😌
How are things going with the book sales? I'm so enjoying mine. It's fantastic.
Honesty is a super power. I am pretty good at it too ;^)
Thanks for the compliments about my book. Much appreciated :^)
Sales are going slow but I sense that will change, as soon as the first prints arrive here in Portugal ( hopefully on Friday or Saturday ) and those who do read it, enjoy it :^)
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