If other parties were involved, you may need to discuss this with your boss. Avoid throwing others under the bus, though. This makes you look afraid and unreliable. This ultimately shows your boss that you understand the gravity of the situation, that you aren’t afraid of accountability, and that you want to work to move past problems rather than covering them up.
Don’t let a setback define you as a failure to yourself. You may not have succeeded at this goal or task, but that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to fail at everything for the rest of your life. If you’re feeling stuck or finding it difficult to move on after a failure, talk to a mentor or a professional counselor. They may have advice about how to cope.
If, for example, you got passed over for a promotion, the reason may be that the company wants someone with 5-7 years of experience, and you only have 2. The root cause for your company wanting someone with more experience may be because your industry has a high turnover rate, and they don’t want to invest time in an employee that will leave the company soon thereafter. It’s not you, it’s just the nature of your industry. Conversely, if you were let go from your job because you were routinely late and failed to complete your job duties, the root cause is that you were not meeting the expectations of the position.
If work seems overwhelming in the immediate moment, get away from your desk. Go for a quick walk around the block, grab a cup of coffee, or take an early lunch. You could also excuse yourself to make a quick personal call if you feel like you need to vent. Call a friend, a family member, or anyone else that offers you emotional comfort. Just be sure not to take more than 5-10 minutes away from your workstation.
If your sense of failure is caused by struggling to break into or stay relevant in your industry, consider looking for a mentor to help you. Look into business mentoring programs and professional associations in your area to find someone who can help you break through.
If a client presentation went wrong, for example, something you can control might be your follow-up to your client. Do you need to apologize? Should you try to schedule a follow-up meeting or a new presentation?
You shouldn’t address your team with fear or shame. Your team members have likely experienced job failure before, too. Letting them know what happened directly, though, shows your respect for your teammates and allows you to move forward as a cohesive unit.
Remember that it’s completely normal to not be able to do everything. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and everyone will have a different workload. If you don’t have the technical skills or time available to complete a task, let your boss know before you take on that work.
If, for example, you’re a great technical writer but you want to get into the marketing side of your field, volunteer to write some copy for your ad team. This can give you exposure to other aspects of marketing while still drawing on your skills.
