That email you didn't send, the calculation you misread, the realisation that the deadline was yesterday... all followed by a sinking feeling, a quickening of the breath and the realisation that it's your fault. Fear not! Handled well, a mistake at work can become a great opportunity. 

你没有发送的那封电子邮件，你误读的计算，意识到截止日期是昨天......所有这些都伴随着一种沮丧的感觉，呼吸加快，并意识到这是你的错。 不要害怕！ 如果处理得当，工作中的错误可以成为一个很好的机会。 

Start by owning up to it. It may be tempting to cover up a mistake, but any deception is unlikely to last for long and could delay attempts to put right the problem. And that's next – try to resolve the problems that you've created. Being proactive and coming to your manager with suggestions is likely to help you regain trust. Psychologists tell us that we tend to have a negativity bias – we are more likely to remember negative things. This is why executive coach Dina Denham Smith tells us we need to make our progress in fixing the issue clear and visible. It's also important to apologise. Showing genuine remorse demonstrates that we can take ownership of our blunders.

 首先要承认这一点。 掩盖错误可能很诱人，但任何欺骗都不太可能持续很长时间，并且可能会延迟纠正问题的尝试。 接下来就是尝试解决你所造成的问题。 积极主动并向经理提出建议可能会帮助您重新获得信任。 心理学家告诉我们，我们往往有消极偏见——我们更有可能记住消极的事情。 这就是为什么执行教练迪娜·德纳姆·史密斯告诉我们，我们需要让解决问题的进展变得清晰可见。 道歉也很重要。 表现出真正的悔恨表明我们可以承担自己的错误。

 As well as looking at how we make amends for our mix-ups to other people, we also need to be honest with ourselves. Removing emotion is important. Shame from making a mistake can cloud our judgement when deciding how to respond. It can also affect our perception of the mistake's seriousness – it's easy to exaggerate how bad something really is. Everyone makes mistakes. What's really important is how we address them. It's important to be reflective. Consider if there's an underlying cause for the mistake, and how to prevent future slip-ups. It can also be useful to seek advice from someone who's had similar experiences in the past. Combined with our own reflections, this can be a powerful way to grow in our job and be more successful. 

除了考虑如何弥补对他人的误解之外，我们还需要对自己诚实。 消除情绪很重要。 犯错误所带来的羞耻感会影响我们在决定如何应对时的判断力。 它还会影响我们对错误严重性的看法——很容易夸大事情的严重程度。 每个人都会犯错误。 真正重要的是我们如何解决这些问题。 反思很重要。 考虑是否存在导致错误的根本原因，以及如何防止将来出现失误。 向过去有过类似经历的人寻求建议也很有用。 结合我们自己的反思，这可能是我们工作成长和取得更大成功的有力途径。 

Academics Jasmine Virhia and Grace Lordan highlight research showing that workplaces which replace fear and blame around mistakes with opportunities for self-reflection are more psychologically safe. This allows people to learn from their mistakes, grow their skills, improve processes and ultimately productivity. Handled in the right way, by both employees and employers, mistakes can become a powerful tool for improvement. 

学者 Jasmine Virhia 和 Grace Lordan 强调研究表明，用自我反思的机会取代对错误的恐惧和责备的工作场所在心理上更安全。 这使人们能够从错误中吸取教训，提高技能，改进流程并最终提高生产力。 如果员工和雇主都以正确的方式处理错误，错误可以成为改进的有力工具。

词汇表

deadline 截止日期
sinking feeling 对即将发生的坏事的担忧和不安
quickening 加速
fault 过错，责任
own up 承认或坦白（错误）
cover up 掩盖
deception 欺骗
put right 纠正
resolve 解决
proactive 积极的，主动的
regain trust 重获信任
negativity bias 消极偏见，更倾向于关注和记忆负面的事情
remorse 悔恨，自责
take ownership 承担责任和义务
blunder 愚蠢的错误
make amends 做出弥补
mix-up 错误
cloud one's judgement 影响某人的判断
perception 认知，看法
address 处理，解决
reflective 自省的，反思的
underlying 根本的，潜在的
slip-up 失误
reflection 反思，深思