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Sent an email to a wrong person. How to correct myself and recover from the situation?
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I used to be a contractor PM for a small outsourcing company.
One sunny day, I was discussing with my colleague, a branch head, some unpleasant issues about how we optimize our expenses, shifting people, etc. Not a cheating, not a fraud, but clearly something that "should not go out these walls".
It was an important discussion, and I wanted to CC to a top-level manager to get his approval on our further actions.
Accidentally, I have placed a name of a customer instead of my boss' name and sent the message.
Luckily, it has nothing to do with that particular customer and his project that I led, but still, I have never recovered after that story. Everyone, including the top manager, told me, "don't worry, it happens to everyone", but at the end of the day I have asked to resign from the customer's project and never got further projects with that company.
That was, indeed, my biggest mistake for all my career. I was doubtful for quite a while if I could ask this question here, but now I think I can.
I'm thinking I could have recovered from that situation.
How to correct myself after sending a sensitive information to a wrong person?
Update, to be most precise.
(1) The cost of actions the company has to do (staff and workflow re-arrangements) was quite comparable to entire profit I have earned for the company (I've been working just for several months).
(2) Yes, I'm a kind of maximalist by character, and such failure is not compatible with my views on the business. If I were my boss, I would do the same: say, "it happens to everyone", and avoid assigning further projects to that person.
(3) By "to recover" I understand an attempt to restore trust by the customer and colleagues. Other aspects are out of scope of this site.
edited Jun 5 '14 at 18:21
JakeGould
6,5821739
asked Feb 8 '13 at 21:22
bytebuster
2,60222146
 |Â
show 8 more comments
up vote
15
down vote
favorite
I used to be a contractor PM for a small outsourcing company.
One sunny day, I was discussing with my colleague, a branch head, some unpleasant issues about how we optimize our expenses, shifting people, etc. Not a cheating, not a fraud, but clearly something that "should not go out these walls".
It was an important discussion, and I wanted to CC to a top-level manager to get his approval on our further actions.
Accidentally, I have placed a name of a customer instead of my boss' name and sent the message.
Luckily, it has nothing to do with that particular customer and his project that I led, but still, I have never recovered after that story. Everyone, including the top manager, told me, "don't worry, it happens to everyone", but at the end of the day I have asked to resign from the customer's project and never got further projects with that company.
That was, indeed, my biggest mistake for all my career. I was doubtful for quite a while if I could ask this question here, but now I think I can.
I'm thinking I could have recovered from that situation.
How to correct myself after sending a sensitive information to a wrong person?
Update, to be most precise.
(1) The cost of actions the company has to do (staff and workflow re-arrangements) was quite comparable to entire profit I have earned for the company (I've been working just for several months).
(2) Yes, I'm a kind of maximalist by character, and such failure is not compatible with my views on the business. If I were my boss, I would do the same: say, "it happens to everyone", and avoid assigning further projects to that person.
(3) By "to recover" I understand an attempt to restore trust by the customer and colleagues. Other aspects are out of scope of this site.
edited Jun 5 '14 at 18:21
JakeGould
6,5821739
asked Feb 8 '13 at 21:22
bytebuster
2,60222146
5
lucky you if that is your biggest mistakes, I have seen much worse
– superM
Feb 8 '13 at 21:25
9
You say that "everyone" told you you shouldn't worry about it. Why didn't you believe them? Have there been any bad effects other than your own feelings? Could you be overreacting to something minor?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 8 '13 at 21:32
10
I do wonder if "I have asked to resign from the customer's project..." is as much a career-limiting move as the original faux-pas, in that it suggests to management that you can't handle dealing with the consequences of a mistake. I don't see how the customer won't trust you any more, unless the mail contained actual information that would have broken that trust. Obvious examples being revealing dishonesty or malpractice in your company's relationship with them, offensive material, or deliberately revealing confidential material for gain.
– Julia Hayward
Sep 18 '13 at 16:07
2
@JuliaHayward you can't handle dealing with the consequences of a mistake -- absolutely. That's why I asked the original question; I'm wondering if I could do better that what I have done (described in the question body).
– bytebuster
Sep 18 '13 at 16:19
1
I think others have said it better, but (i) be honest with your boss - which you did - and (ii) trust your boss's judgement. If it had caused damage to the company he would have bawled you out. If it had caused serious damage to the company, he would have fired you. He didn't.
– Julia Hayward
Sep 19 '13 at 14:38
 |Â
show 8 more comments
up vote
15
down vote
favorite
up vote
15
down vote
favorite
I used to be a contractor PM for a small outsourcing company.
One sunny day, I was discussing with my colleague, a branch head, some unpleasant issues about how we optimize our expenses, shifting people, etc. Not a cheating, not a fraud, but clearly something that "should not go out these walls".
It was an important discussion, and I wanted to CC to a top-level manager to get his approval on our further actions.
Accidentally, I have placed a name of a customer instead of my boss' name and sent the message.
Luckily, it has nothing to do with that particular customer and his project that I led, but still, I have never recovered after that story. Everyone, including the top manager, told me, "don't worry, it happens to everyone", but at the end of the day I have asked to resign from the customer's project and never got further projects with that company.
That was, indeed, my biggest mistake for all my career. I was doubtful for quite a while if I could ask this question here, but now I think I can.
I'm thinking I could have recovered from that situation.
How to correct myself after sending a sensitive information to a wrong person?
Update, to be most precise.
(1) The cost of actions the company has to do (staff and workflow re-arrangements) was quite comparable to entire profit I have earned for the company (I've been working just for several months).
(2) Yes, I'm a kind of maximalist by character, and such failure is not compatible with my views on the business. If I were my boss, I would do the same: say, "it happens to everyone", and avoid assigning further projects to that person.
(3) By "to recover" I understand an attempt to restore trust by the customer and colleagues. Other aspects are out of scope of this site.
edited Jun 5 '14 at 18:21
JakeGould
6,5821739
asked Feb 8 '13 at 21:22
bytebuster
2,60222146
I used to be a contractor PM for a small outsourcing company.
One sunny day, I was discussing with my colleague, a branch head, some unpleasant issues about how we optimize our expenses, shifting people, etc. Not a cheating, not a fraud, but clearly something that "should not go out these walls".
It was an important discussion, and I wanted to CC to a top-level manager to get his approval on our further actions.
Accidentally, I have placed a name of a customer instead of my boss' name and sent the message.
Luckily, it has nothing to do with that particular customer and his project that I led, but still, I have never recovered after that story. Everyone, including the top manager, told me, "don't worry, it happens to everyone", but at the end of the day I have asked to resign from the customer's project and never got further projects with that company.
That was, indeed, my biggest mistake for all my career. I was doubtful for quite a while if I could ask this question here, but now I think I can.
I'm thinking I could have recovered from that situation.
How to correct myself after sending a sensitive information to a wrong person?
Update, to be most precise.
(1) The cost of actions the company has to do (staff and workflow re-arrangements) was quite comparable to entire profit I have earned for the company (I've been working just for several months).
(2) Yes, I'm a kind of maximalist by character, and such failure is not compatible with my views on the business. If I were my boss, I would do the same: say, "it happens to everyone", and avoid assigning further projects to that person.
(3) By "to recover" I understand an attempt to restore trust by the customer and colleagues. Other aspects are out of scope of this site.
edited Jun 5 '14 at 18:21
JakeGould
6,5821739
asked Feb 8 '13 at 21:22
bytebuster
2,60222146
edited Jun 5 '14 at 18:21
JakeGould
6,5821739
edited Jun 5 '14 at 18:21
JakeGould
6,5821739
edited Jun 5 '14 at 18:21
JakeGould
6,5821739
6,5821739
asked Feb 8 '13 at 21:22
bytebuster
2,60222146
asked Feb 8 '13 at 21:22
bytebuster
2,60222146
asked Feb 8 '13 at 21:22
bytebuster
2,60222146
2,60222146
5
lucky you if that is your biggest mistakes, I have seen much worse
– superM
Feb 8 '13 at 21:25
9
You say that "everyone" told you you shouldn't worry about it. Why didn't you believe them? Have there been any bad effects other than your own feelings? Could you be overreacting to something minor?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 8 '13 at 21:32
10
I do wonder if "I have asked to resign from the customer's project..." is as much a career-limiting move as the original faux-pas, in that it suggests to management that you can't handle dealing with the consequences of a mistake. I don't see how the customer won't trust you any more, unless the mail contained actual information that would have broken that trust. Obvious examples being revealing dishonesty or malpractice in your company's relationship with them, offensive material, or deliberately revealing confidential material for gain.
– Julia Hayward
Sep 18 '13 at 16:07
2
@JuliaHayward you can't handle dealing with the consequences of a mistake -- absolutely. That's why I asked the original question; I'm wondering if I could do better that what I have done (described in the question body).
– bytebuster
Sep 18 '13 at 16:19
1
I think others have said it better, but (i) be honest with your boss - which you did - and (ii) trust your boss's judgement. If it had caused damage to the company he would have bawled you out. If it had caused serious damage to the company, he would have fired you. He didn't.
– Julia Hayward
Sep 19 '13 at 14:38
 |Â
show 8 more comments
5
lucky you if that is your biggest mistakes, I have seen much worse
– superM
Feb 8 '13 at 21:25
9
You say that "everyone" told you you shouldn't worry about it. Why didn't you believe them? Have there been any bad effects other than your own feelings? Could you be overreacting to something minor?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 8 '13 at 21:32
10
I do wonder if "I have asked to resign from the customer's project..." is as much a career-limiting move as the original faux-pas, in that it suggests to management that you can't handle dealing with the consequences of a mistake. I don't see how the customer won't trust you any more, unless the mail contained actual information that would have broken that trust. Obvious examples being revealing dishonesty or malpractice in your company's relationship with them, offensive material, or deliberately revealing confidential material for gain.
– Julia Hayward
Sep 18 '13 at 16:07
2
@JuliaHayward you can't handle dealing with the consequences of a mistake -- absolutely. That's why I asked the original question; I'm wondering if I could do better that what I have done (described in the question body).
– bytebuster
Sep 18 '13 at 16:19
1
I think others have said it better, but (i) be honest with your boss - which you did - and (ii) trust your boss's judgement. If it had caused damage to the company he would have bawled you out. If it had caused serious damage to the company, he would have fired you. He didn't.
– Julia Hayward
Sep 19 '13 at 14:38
5
5
lucky you if that is your biggest mistakes, I have seen much worse
– superM
Feb 8 '13 at 21:25
lucky you if that is your biggest mistakes, I have seen much worse
– superM
Feb 8 '13 at 21:25
9
9
You say that "everyone" told you you shouldn't worry about it. Why didn't you believe them? Have there been any bad effects other than your own feelings? Could you be overreacting to something minor?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 8 '13 at 21:32
You say that "everyone" told you you shouldn't worry about it. Why didn't you believe them? Have there been any bad effects other than your own feelings? Could you be overreacting to something minor?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 8 '13 at 21:32
10
10
I do wonder if "I have asked to resign from the customer's project..." is as much a career-limiting move as the original faux-pas, in that it suggests to management that you can't handle dealing with the consequences of a mistake. I don't see how the customer won't trust you any more, unless the mail contained actual information that would have broken that trust. Obvious examples being revealing dishonesty or malpractice in your company's relationship with them, offensive material, or deliberately revealing confidential material for gain.
– Julia Hayward
Sep 18 '13 at 16:07
I do wonder if "I have asked to resign from the customer's project..." is as much a career-limiting move as the original faux-pas, in that it suggests to management that you can't handle dealing with the consequences of a mistake. I don't see how the customer won't trust you any more, unless the mail contained actual information that would have broken that trust. Obvious examples being revealing dishonesty or malpractice in your company's relationship with them, offensive material, or deliberately revealing confidential material for gain.
– Julia Hayward
Sep 18 '13 at 16:07
2
2
@JuliaHayward you can't handle dealing with the consequences of a mistake -- absolutely. That's why I asked the original question; I'm wondering if I could do better that what I have done (described in the question body).
– bytebuster
Sep 18 '13 at 16:19
@JuliaHayward you can't handle dealing with the consequences of a mistake -- absolutely. That's why I asked the original question; I'm wondering if I could do better that what I have done (described in the question body).
– bytebuster
Sep 18 '13 at 16:19
1
1
I think others have said it better, but (i) be honest with your boss - which you did - and (ii) trust your boss's judgement. If it had caused damage to the company he would have bawled you out. If it had caused serious damage to the company, he would have fired you. He didn't.
– Julia Hayward
Sep 19 '13 at 14:38
I think others have said it better, but (i) be honest with your boss - which you did - and (ii) trust your boss's judgement. If it had caused damage to the company he would have bawled you out. If it had caused serious damage to the company, he would have fired you. He didn't.
– Julia Hayward
Sep 19 '13 at 14:38
 |Â
show 8 more comments
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
up vote
26
down vote
accepted
You write:
Everyone, including the top manager, told me, "don't worry, it happens to everyone", ...
My advice is to believe them. Based on what you've written here (and there could be other details we don't have), I think you're overreacting, particularly in asking to resign from the customer's project.
I've done something similar on at least one occasion. I did a reply-all to an e-mail and mentioned some company-internal information that shouldn't have gone to everyone on the Cc list. It was a mistake, it was pointed out to me, I was a bit embarrassed -- and I moved on, being more careful from that point forward.
It sounds like this happened some time ago, so communicating with the customer at this point probably wouldn't be useful. There's a very good chance the customer just ignored it at the time, and bringing it to the customer's attention again is unlikely to improve the situation.
If it had happened just recently, the best course of action would be to ask your manager what to do. Maybe a quick followup to the customer explaining what happened and politely asking them to delete the e-mail would have been appropriate. I wouldn't communicate with the customer about it without checking with management first.
Consider this. If you were a top manager yourself, and someone working under you had made this kind of honest mistake, how would you react? Would you angrily remove them from the project, or would you just tell them "don't worry, it happens to everyone", and do what's necessary (if anything!) to clean things up? Assuming the latter, why be harder on yourself over this than you'd be on someone else -- or than your manager is being on you?
Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.
answered Feb 9 '13 at 21:03
Keith Thompson
1,496918
" ... and never assign further projects to that person" -- Really? For one simple mistake that "happens to everyone"? What am I missing that makes this such a big deal?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 9 '13 at 22:28
3
@bytebuster: Ah, you never mentioned that. Based on your question and the comments, I had gotten the impression that the only real effect was embarrassment. You might want to update your question to clarify the objective severity of the situation. It makes a difference in how we answer it.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 10 '13 at 4:00
@bytebuster: I'm still frankly bewildered that an e-mail accidentally sent to a customer could cause that much damage -- but I suppose the nature of the situation is such that you can't share the details.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 11 '13 at 18:52
2
“…but at the end of the day I have asked to resign from the customer’s project and never got further projects with that company.†This line confesses me. Was the original poster asked to resign? Or did they overreact? I believe it was an overreaction. “Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.†BINGO!
– JakeGould
Jun 5 '14 at 18:22
add a comment |Â
up vote
7
down vote
Everybody makes mistakes. The only people who don't screw up once in a while are those who don't even try.
What sets the competent apart from the incompetent is how we deal with our mistakes.
When you make a mistake, the right way to act is:
- Minimize damage quickly and effectively
- Inform those it concerns, and show that you have the situation under control (unless you don't, which would be a new mistake which needs to be acted on)
- Take precautions to avoid the mistake from happening in the future
- When prompted to give a report about the incident, focus on how you reacted, not on apologizing.
Wrong appoach would be to:
- Pretend that nothing has happened
- When the situation can't be ignored, helplessly ask the superior what to do
- Apologize, but don't actually do anything actively to fix the mistake
- Do pointless self-punishment, like resigning from a post without being forced to do so.
answered Sep 20 '13 at 12:48
Philipp
20.3k34885
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Keeping in mind that information sent electronically is out there, and you're not going to get it back, I think the best way to resolve this for yourself is to ask yourself what you hope to accomplish.
Do you want to save face? If so, the best policy might be honesty. Email them again, tell them it was intended for someone else, and apologize. Hopefully they'll consider an honest admission of the mistake to offset the mistake itself.
Do you want to prevent the further spread of the information? Again, since you can't get electronic info 'back', your only option here is to email them again, tell them what happened, and ask if they wouldn't mind deleting the email and forgetting about it. Of course there's no guarantee that they will.
Remember though that contacting them again might just get them to re-read the email, and in so doing you're just drawing more attention to the information. You could consider just letting it go, knowing that the customer probably realized that it was sent in error, and deleted it....
answered Feb 8 '13 at 22:21
admin admin
311
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Focus on the value you're delivering today and will deliver in the future. Everybody makes mistakes, but the fact is that you're still valuable to your employer and your clients because you are good at your job. What you need to do is focus on how you deliver more value in your current situation, whatever that situation is. The past is done, and doesn't change what value you can deliver today.
In the immediate aftermath of such a mistake, the answer is the same, but it's worth facing up to the situation, contacting the people involved, ensuring that there are no secrets left to come out of the woodwork and bite you later (perhaps even informing the client which was involved, especially if it's possible that the client you emailed could identify the client it was about), and ensure all the pain is in the past. Face it like a boss, and then get on with doing some awesome work.
answered Feb 9 '13 at 12:45
Richard Russell
26113
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
A good way to move beyond is to learn from this experience and set email rules.
I have rules set in Outlook which add a 5 minute delay to any email which is sent to an outside domain. I also have a rule set which CCs the Exec Assistants and delays any emails which are sent to our Cxx level execs within my company. This gives their Exec Assistants a heads up on what they may be having to deal with in a minute and the delays provide me protection that I hit send and realize there was a major typo or I should/shouldn't have copied that person I can still stop the email before it is sent.
It is easier to stop an email before it is sent than it is to recall a message especially for addresses outside your server.
answered Sep 18 '13 at 14:12
Dopeybob435
553519
It depends on the kind of company you work for and how much you need to c.y.a.
– Dopeybob435
Sep 18 '13 at 16:31
add a comment |Â
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5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
26
down vote
accepted
You write:
Everyone, including the top manager, told me, "don't worry, it happens to everyone", ...
My advice is to believe them. Based on what you've written here (and there could be other details we don't have), I think you're overreacting, particularly in asking to resign from the customer's project.
I've done something similar on at least one occasion. I did a reply-all to an e-mail and mentioned some company-internal information that shouldn't have gone to everyone on the Cc list. It was a mistake, it was pointed out to me, I was a bit embarrassed -- and I moved on, being more careful from that point forward.
It sounds like this happened some time ago, so communicating with the customer at this point probably wouldn't be useful. There's a very good chance the customer just ignored it at the time, and bringing it to the customer's attention again is unlikely to improve the situation.
If it had happened just recently, the best course of action would be to ask your manager what to do. Maybe a quick followup to the customer explaining what happened and politely asking them to delete the e-mail would have been appropriate. I wouldn't communicate with the customer about it without checking with management first.
Consider this. If you were a top manager yourself, and someone working under you had made this kind of honest mistake, how would you react? Would you angrily remove them from the project, or would you just tell them "don't worry, it happens to everyone", and do what's necessary (if anything!) to clean things up? Assuming the latter, why be harder on yourself over this than you'd be on someone else -- or than your manager is being on you?
Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.
answered Feb 9 '13 at 21:03
Keith Thompson
1,496918
" ... and never assign further projects to that person" -- Really? For one simple mistake that "happens to everyone"? What am I missing that makes this such a big deal?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 9 '13 at 22:28
3
@bytebuster: Ah, you never mentioned that. Based on your question and the comments, I had gotten the impression that the only real effect was embarrassment. You might want to update your question to clarify the objective severity of the situation. It makes a difference in how we answer it.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 10 '13 at 4:00
@bytebuster: I'm still frankly bewildered that an e-mail accidentally sent to a customer could cause that much damage -- but I suppose the nature of the situation is such that you can't share the details.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 11 '13 at 18:52
2
“…but at the end of the day I have asked to resign from the customer’s project and never got further projects with that company.†This line confesses me. Was the original poster asked to resign? Or did they overreact? I believe it was an overreaction. “Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.†BINGO!
– JakeGould
Jun 5 '14 at 18:22
add a comment |Â
up vote
26
down vote
accepted
You write:
Everyone, including the top manager, told me, "don't worry, it happens to everyone", ...
My advice is to believe them. Based on what you've written here (and there could be other details we don't have), I think you're overreacting, particularly in asking to resign from the customer's project.
I've done something similar on at least one occasion. I did a reply-all to an e-mail and mentioned some company-internal information that shouldn't have gone to everyone on the Cc list. It was a mistake, it was pointed out to me, I was a bit embarrassed -- and I moved on, being more careful from that point forward.
It sounds like this happened some time ago, so communicating with the customer at this point probably wouldn't be useful. There's a very good chance the customer just ignored it at the time, and bringing it to the customer's attention again is unlikely to improve the situation.
If it had happened just recently, the best course of action would be to ask your manager what to do. Maybe a quick followup to the customer explaining what happened and politely asking them to delete the e-mail would have been appropriate. I wouldn't communicate with the customer about it without checking with management first.
Consider this. If you were a top manager yourself, and someone working under you had made this kind of honest mistake, how would you react? Would you angrily remove them from the project, or would you just tell them "don't worry, it happens to everyone", and do what's necessary (if anything!) to clean things up? Assuming the latter, why be harder on yourself over this than you'd be on someone else -- or than your manager is being on you?
Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.
answered Feb 9 '13 at 21:03
Keith Thompson
1,496918
" ... and never assign further projects to that person" -- Really? For one simple mistake that "happens to everyone"? What am I missing that makes this such a big deal?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 9 '13 at 22:28
3
@bytebuster: Ah, you never mentioned that. Based on your question and the comments, I had gotten the impression that the only real effect was embarrassment. You might want to update your question to clarify the objective severity of the situation. It makes a difference in how we answer it.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 10 '13 at 4:00
@bytebuster: I'm still frankly bewildered that an e-mail accidentally sent to a customer could cause that much damage -- but I suppose the nature of the situation is such that you can't share the details.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 11 '13 at 18:52
2
“…but at the end of the day I have asked to resign from the customer’s project and never got further projects with that company.†This line confesses me. Was the original poster asked to resign? Or did they overreact? I believe it was an overreaction. “Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.†BINGO!
– JakeGould
Jun 5 '14 at 18:22
add a comment |Â
up vote
26
down vote
accepted
up vote
26
down vote
accepted
You write:
Everyone, including the top manager, told me, "don't worry, it happens to everyone", ...
My advice is to believe them. Based on what you've written here (and there could be other details we don't have), I think you're overreacting, particularly in asking to resign from the customer's project.
I've done something similar on at least one occasion. I did a reply-all to an e-mail and mentioned some company-internal information that shouldn't have gone to everyone on the Cc list. It was a mistake, it was pointed out to me, I was a bit embarrassed -- and I moved on, being more careful from that point forward.
It sounds like this happened some time ago, so communicating with the customer at this point probably wouldn't be useful. There's a very good chance the customer just ignored it at the time, and bringing it to the customer's attention again is unlikely to improve the situation.
If it had happened just recently, the best course of action would be to ask your manager what to do. Maybe a quick followup to the customer explaining what happened and politely asking them to delete the e-mail would have been appropriate. I wouldn't communicate with the customer about it without checking with management first.
Consider this. If you were a top manager yourself, and someone working under you had made this kind of honest mistake, how would you react? Would you angrily remove them from the project, or would you just tell them "don't worry, it happens to everyone", and do what's necessary (if anything!) to clean things up? Assuming the latter, why be harder on yourself over this than you'd be on someone else -- or than your manager is being on you?
Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.
answered Feb 9 '13 at 21:03
Keith Thompson
1,496918
You write:
Everyone, including the top manager, told me, "don't worry, it happens to everyone", ...
My advice is to believe them. Based on what you've written here (and there could be other details we don't have), I think you're overreacting, particularly in asking to resign from the customer's project.
I've done something similar on at least one occasion. I did a reply-all to an e-mail and mentioned some company-internal information that shouldn't have gone to everyone on the Cc list. It was a mistake, it was pointed out to me, I was a bit embarrassed -- and I moved on, being more careful from that point forward.
It sounds like this happened some time ago, so communicating with the customer at this point probably wouldn't be useful. There's a very good chance the customer just ignored it at the time, and bringing it to the customer's attention again is unlikely to improve the situation.
If it had happened just recently, the best course of action would be to ask your manager what to do. Maybe a quick followup to the customer explaining what happened and politely asking them to delete the e-mail would have been appropriate. I wouldn't communicate with the customer about it without checking with management first.
Consider this. If you were a top manager yourself, and someone working under you had made this kind of honest mistake, how would you react? Would you angrily remove them from the project, or would you just tell them "don't worry, it happens to everyone", and do what's necessary (if anything!) to clean things up? Assuming the latter, why be harder on yourself over this than you'd be on someone else -- or than your manager is being on you?
Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.
answered Feb 9 '13 at 21:03
Keith Thompson
1,496918
answered Feb 9 '13 at 21:03
Keith Thompson
1,496918
answered Feb 9 '13 at 21:03
Keith Thompson
1,496918
answered Feb 9 '13 at 21:03
Keith Thompson
1,496918
1,496918
" ... and never assign further projects to that person" -- Really? For one simple mistake that "happens to everyone"? What am I missing that makes this such a big deal?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 9 '13 at 22:28
3
@bytebuster: Ah, you never mentioned that. Based on your question and the comments, I had gotten the impression that the only real effect was embarrassment. You might want to update your question to clarify the objective severity of the situation. It makes a difference in how we answer it.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 10 '13 at 4:00
@bytebuster: I'm still frankly bewildered that an e-mail accidentally sent to a customer could cause that much damage -- but I suppose the nature of the situation is such that you can't share the details.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 11 '13 at 18:52
2
“…but at the end of the day I have asked to resign from the customer’s project and never got further projects with that company.†This line confesses me. Was the original poster asked to resign? Or did they overreact? I believe it was an overreaction. “Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.†BINGO!
– JakeGould
Jun 5 '14 at 18:22
add a comment |Â
" ... and never assign further projects to that person" -- Really? For one simple mistake that "happens to everyone"? What am I missing that makes this such a big deal?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 9 '13 at 22:28
3
@bytebuster: Ah, you never mentioned that. Based on your question and the comments, I had gotten the impression that the only real effect was embarrassment. You might want to update your question to clarify the objective severity of the situation. It makes a difference in how we answer it.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 10 '13 at 4:00
@bytebuster: I'm still frankly bewildered that an e-mail accidentally sent to a customer could cause that much damage -- but I suppose the nature of the situation is such that you can't share the details.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 11 '13 at 18:52
2
“…but at the end of the day I have asked to resign from the customer’s project and never got further projects with that company.†This line confesses me. Was the original poster asked to resign? Or did they overreact? I believe it was an overreaction. “Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.†BINGO!
– JakeGould
Jun 5 '14 at 18:22
" ... and never assign further projects to that person" -- Really? For one simple mistake that "happens to everyone"? What am I missing that makes this such a big deal?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 9 '13 at 22:28
" ... and never assign further projects to that person" -- Really? For one simple mistake that "happens to everyone"? What am I missing that makes this such a big deal?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 9 '13 at 22:28
3
3
@bytebuster: Ah, you never mentioned that. Based on your question and the comments, I had gotten the impression that the only real effect was embarrassment. You might want to update your question to clarify the objective severity of the situation. It makes a difference in how we answer it.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 10 '13 at 4:00
@bytebuster: Ah, you never mentioned that. Based on your question and the comments, I had gotten the impression that the only real effect was embarrassment. You might want to update your question to clarify the objective severity of the situation. It makes a difference in how we answer it.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 10 '13 at 4:00
@bytebuster: I'm still frankly bewildered that an e-mail accidentally sent to a customer could cause that much damage -- but I suppose the nature of the situation is such that you can't share the details.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 11 '13 at 18:52
@bytebuster: I'm still frankly bewildered that an e-mail accidentally sent to a customer could cause that much damage -- but I suppose the nature of the situation is such that you can't share the details.
– Keith Thompson
Feb 11 '13 at 18:52
2
2
“…but at the end of the day I have asked to resign from the customer’s project and never got further projects with that company.†This line confesses me. Was the original poster asked to resign? Or did they overreact? I believe it was an overreaction. “Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.†BINGO!
– JakeGould
Jun 5 '14 at 18:22
“…but at the end of the day I have asked to resign from the customer’s project and never got further projects with that company.†This line confesses me. Was the original poster asked to resign? Or did they overreact? I believe it was an overreaction. “Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.†BINGO!
– JakeGould
Jun 5 '14 at 18:22
add a comment |Â
up vote
7
down vote
Everybody makes mistakes. The only people who don't screw up once in a while are those who don't even try.
What sets the competent apart from the incompetent is how we deal with our mistakes.
When you make a mistake, the right way to act is:
- Minimize damage quickly and effectively
- Inform those it concerns, and show that you have the situation under control (unless you don't, which would be a new mistake which needs to be acted on)
- Take precautions to avoid the mistake from happening in the future
- When prompted to give a report about the incident, focus on how you reacted, not on apologizing.
Wrong appoach would be to:
- Pretend that nothing has happened
- When the situation can't be ignored, helplessly ask the superior what to do
- Apologize, but don't actually do anything actively to fix the mistake
- Do pointless self-punishment, like resigning from a post without being forced to do so.
answered Sep 20 '13 at 12:48
Philipp
20.3k34885
add a comment |Â
up vote
7
down vote
Everybody makes mistakes. The only people who don't screw up once in a while are those who don't even try.
What sets the competent apart from the incompetent is how we deal with our mistakes.
When you make a mistake, the right way to act is:
- Minimize damage quickly and effectively
- Inform those it concerns, and show that you have the situation under control (unless you don't, which would be a new mistake which needs to be acted on)
- Take precautions to avoid the mistake from happening in the future
- When prompted to give a report about the incident, focus on how you reacted, not on apologizing.
Wrong appoach would be to:
- Pretend that nothing has happened
- When the situation can't be ignored, helplessly ask the superior what to do
- Apologize, but don't actually do anything actively to fix the mistake
- Do pointless self-punishment, like resigning from a post without being forced to do so.
answered Sep 20 '13 at 12:48
Philipp
20.3k34885
add a comment |Â
up vote
7
down vote
up vote
7
down vote
Everybody makes mistakes. The only people who don't screw up once in a while are those who don't even try.
What sets the competent apart from the incompetent is how we deal with our mistakes.
When you make a mistake, the right way to act is:
- Minimize damage quickly and effectively
- Inform those it concerns, and show that you have the situation under control (unless you don't, which would be a new mistake which needs to be acted on)
- Take precautions to avoid the mistake from happening in the future
- When prompted to give a report about the incident, focus on how you reacted, not on apologizing.
Wrong appoach would be to:
- Pretend that nothing has happened
- When the situation can't be ignored, helplessly ask the superior what to do
- Apologize, but don't actually do anything actively to fix the mistake
- Do pointless self-punishment, like resigning from a post without being forced to do so.
answered Sep 20 '13 at 12:48
Philipp
20.3k34885
Everybody makes mistakes. The only people who don't screw up once in a while are those who don't even try.
What sets the competent apart from the incompetent is how we deal with our mistakes.
When you make a mistake, the right way to act is:
- Minimize damage quickly and effectively
- Inform those it concerns, and show that you have the situation under control (unless you don't, which would be a new mistake which needs to be acted on)
- Take precautions to avoid the mistake from happening in the future
- When prompted to give a report about the incident, focus on how you reacted, not on apologizing.
Wrong appoach would be to:
- Pretend that nothing has happened
- When the situation can't be ignored, helplessly ask the superior what to do
- Apologize, but don't actually do anything actively to fix the mistake
- Do pointless self-punishment, like resigning from a post without being forced to do so.
answered Sep 20 '13 at 12:48
Philipp
20.3k34885
answered Sep 20 '13 at 12:48
Philipp
20.3k34885
answered Sep 20 '13 at 12:48
Philipp
20.3k34885
answered Sep 20 '13 at 12:48
Philipp
20.3k34885
20.3k34885
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Keeping in mind that information sent electronically is out there, and you're not going to get it back, I think the best way to resolve this for yourself is to ask yourself what you hope to accomplish.
Do you want to save face? If so, the best policy might be honesty. Email them again, tell them it was intended for someone else, and apologize. Hopefully they'll consider an honest admission of the mistake to offset the mistake itself.
Do you want to prevent the further spread of the information? Again, since you can't get electronic info 'back', your only option here is to email them again, tell them what happened, and ask if they wouldn't mind deleting the email and forgetting about it. Of course there's no guarantee that they will.
Remember though that contacting them again might just get them to re-read the email, and in so doing you're just drawing more attention to the information. You could consider just letting it go, knowing that the customer probably realized that it was sent in error, and deleted it....
answered Feb 8 '13 at 22:21
admin admin
311
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Keeping in mind that information sent electronically is out there, and you're not going to get it back, I think the best way to resolve this for yourself is to ask yourself what you hope to accomplish.
Do you want to save face? If so, the best policy might be honesty. Email them again, tell them it was intended for someone else, and apologize. Hopefully they'll consider an honest admission of the mistake to offset the mistake itself.
Do you want to prevent the further spread of the information? Again, since you can't get electronic info 'back', your only option here is to email them again, tell them what happened, and ask if they wouldn't mind deleting the email and forgetting about it. Of course there's no guarantee that they will.
Remember though that contacting them again might just get them to re-read the email, and in so doing you're just drawing more attention to the information. You could consider just letting it go, knowing that the customer probably realized that it was sent in error, and deleted it....
answered Feb 8 '13 at 22:21
admin admin
311
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
Keeping in mind that information sent electronically is out there, and you're not going to get it back, I think the best way to resolve this for yourself is to ask yourself what you hope to accomplish.
Do you want to save face? If so, the best policy might be honesty. Email them again, tell them it was intended for someone else, and apologize. Hopefully they'll consider an honest admission of the mistake to offset the mistake itself.
Do you want to prevent the further spread of the information? Again, since you can't get electronic info 'back', your only option here is to email them again, tell them what happened, and ask if they wouldn't mind deleting the email and forgetting about it. Of course there's no guarantee that they will.
Remember though that contacting them again might just get them to re-read the email, and in so doing you're just drawing more attention to the information. You could consider just letting it go, knowing that the customer probably realized that it was sent in error, and deleted it....
answered Feb 8 '13 at 22:21
admin admin
311
Keeping in mind that information sent electronically is out there, and you're not going to get it back, I think the best way to resolve this for yourself is to ask yourself what you hope to accomplish.
Do you want to save face? If so, the best policy might be honesty. Email them again, tell them it was intended for someone else, and apologize. Hopefully they'll consider an honest admission of the mistake to offset the mistake itself.
Do you want to prevent the further spread of the information? Again, since you can't get electronic info 'back', your only option here is to email them again, tell them what happened, and ask if they wouldn't mind deleting the email and forgetting about it. Of course there's no guarantee that they will.
Remember though that contacting them again might just get them to re-read the email, and in so doing you're just drawing more attention to the information. You could consider just letting it go, knowing that the customer probably realized that it was sent in error, and deleted it....
answered Feb 8 '13 at 22:21
admin admin
311
answered Feb 8 '13 at 22:21
admin admin
311
answered Feb 8 '13 at 22:21
admin admin
311
answered Feb 8 '13 at 22:21
admin admin
311
311
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Focus on the value you're delivering today and will deliver in the future. Everybody makes mistakes, but the fact is that you're still valuable to your employer and your clients because you are good at your job. What you need to do is focus on how you deliver more value in your current situation, whatever that situation is. The past is done, and doesn't change what value you can deliver today.
In the immediate aftermath of such a mistake, the answer is the same, but it's worth facing up to the situation, contacting the people involved, ensuring that there are no secrets left to come out of the woodwork and bite you later (perhaps even informing the client which was involved, especially if it's possible that the client you emailed could identify the client it was about), and ensure all the pain is in the past. Face it like a boss, and then get on with doing some awesome work.
answered Feb 9 '13 at 12:45
Richard Russell
26113
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Focus on the value you're delivering today and will deliver in the future. Everybody makes mistakes, but the fact is that you're still valuable to your employer and your clients because you are good at your job. What you need to do is focus on how you deliver more value in your current situation, whatever that situation is. The past is done, and doesn't change what value you can deliver today.
In the immediate aftermath of such a mistake, the answer is the same, but it's worth facing up to the situation, contacting the people involved, ensuring that there are no secrets left to come out of the woodwork and bite you later (perhaps even informing the client which was involved, especially if it's possible that the client you emailed could identify the client it was about), and ensure all the pain is in the past. Face it like a boss, and then get on with doing some awesome work.
answered Feb 9 '13 at 12:45
Richard Russell
26113
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
Focus on the value you're delivering today and will deliver in the future. Everybody makes mistakes, but the fact is that you're still valuable to your employer and your clients because you are good at your job. What you need to do is focus on how you deliver more value in your current situation, whatever that situation is. The past is done, and doesn't change what value you can deliver today.
In the immediate aftermath of such a mistake, the answer is the same, but it's worth facing up to the situation, contacting the people involved, ensuring that there are no secrets left to come out of the woodwork and bite you later (perhaps even informing the client which was involved, especially if it's possible that the client you emailed could identify the client it was about), and ensure all the pain is in the past. Face it like a boss, and then get on with doing some awesome work.
answered Feb 9 '13 at 12:45
Richard Russell
26113
Focus on the value you're delivering today and will deliver in the future. Everybody makes mistakes, but the fact is that you're still valuable to your employer and your clients because you are good at your job. What you need to do is focus on how you deliver more value in your current situation, whatever that situation is. The past is done, and doesn't change what value you can deliver today.
In the immediate aftermath of such a mistake, the answer is the same, but it's worth facing up to the situation, contacting the people involved, ensuring that there are no secrets left to come out of the woodwork and bite you later (perhaps even informing the client which was involved, especially if it's possible that the client you emailed could identify the client it was about), and ensure all the pain is in the past. Face it like a boss, and then get on with doing some awesome work.
answered Feb 9 '13 at 12:45
Richard Russell
26113
answered Feb 9 '13 at 12:45
Richard Russell
26113
answered Feb 9 '13 at 12:45
Richard Russell
26113
answered Feb 9 '13 at 12:45
Richard Russell
26113
26113
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
A good way to move beyond is to learn from this experience and set email rules.
I have rules set in Outlook which add a 5 minute delay to any email which is sent to an outside domain. I also have a rule set which CCs the Exec Assistants and delays any emails which are sent to our Cxx level execs within my company. This gives their Exec Assistants a heads up on what they may be having to deal with in a minute and the delays provide me protection that I hit send and realize there was a major typo or I should/shouldn't have copied that person I can still stop the email before it is sent.
It is easier to stop an email before it is sent than it is to recall a message especially for addresses outside your server.
answered Sep 18 '13 at 14:12
Dopeybob435
553519
It depends on the kind of company you work for and how much you need to c.y.a.
– Dopeybob435
Sep 18 '13 at 16:31
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
A good way to move beyond is to learn from this experience and set email rules.
I have rules set in Outlook which add a 5 minute delay to any email which is sent to an outside domain. I also have a rule set which CCs the Exec Assistants and delays any emails which are sent to our Cxx level execs within my company. This gives their Exec Assistants a heads up on what they may be having to deal with in a minute and the delays provide me protection that I hit send and realize there was a major typo or I should/shouldn't have copied that person I can still stop the email before it is sent.
It is easier to stop an email before it is sent than it is to recall a message especially for addresses outside your server.
answered Sep 18 '13 at 14:12
Dopeybob435
553519
It depends on the kind of company you work for and how much you need to c.y.a.
– Dopeybob435
Sep 18 '13 at 16:31
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
A good way to move beyond is to learn from this experience and set email rules.
I have rules set in Outlook which add a 5 minute delay to any email which is sent to an outside domain. I also have a rule set which CCs the Exec Assistants and delays any emails which are sent to our Cxx level execs within my company. This gives their Exec Assistants a heads up on what they may be having to deal with in a minute and the delays provide me protection that I hit send and realize there was a major typo or I should/shouldn't have copied that person I can still stop the email before it is sent.
It is easier to stop an email before it is sent than it is to recall a message especially for addresses outside your server.
answered Sep 18 '13 at 14:12
Dopeybob435
553519
A good way to move beyond is to learn from this experience and set email rules.
I have rules set in Outlook which add a 5 minute delay to any email which is sent to an outside domain. I also have a rule set which CCs the Exec Assistants and delays any emails which are sent to our Cxx level execs within my company. This gives their Exec Assistants a heads up on what they may be having to deal with in a minute and the delays provide me protection that I hit send and realize there was a major typo or I should/shouldn't have copied that person I can still stop the email before it is sent.
It is easier to stop an email before it is sent than it is to recall a message especially for addresses outside your server.
answered Sep 18 '13 at 14:12
Dopeybob435
553519
answered Sep 18 '13 at 14:12
Dopeybob435
553519
answered Sep 18 '13 at 14:12
Dopeybob435
553519
answered Sep 18 '13 at 14:12
Dopeybob435
553519
553519
It depends on the kind of company you work for and how much you need to c.y.a.
– Dopeybob435
Sep 18 '13 at 16:31
add a comment |Â
It depends on the kind of company you work for and how much you need to c.y.a.
– Dopeybob435
Sep 18 '13 at 16:31
It depends on the kind of company you work for and how much you need to c.y.a.
– Dopeybob435
Sep 18 '13 at 16:31
It depends on the kind of company you work for and how much you need to c.y.a.
– Dopeybob435
Sep 18 '13 at 16:31
add a comment |Â
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5
lucky you if that is your biggest mistakes, I have seen much worse
– superM
Feb 8 '13 at 21:25
9
You say that "everyone" told you you shouldn't worry about it. Why didn't you believe them? Have there been any bad effects other than your own feelings? Could you be overreacting to something minor?
– Keith Thompson
Feb 8 '13 at 21:32
10
I do wonder if "I have asked to resign from the customer's project..." is as much a career-limiting move as the original faux-pas, in that it suggests to management that you can't handle dealing with the consequences of a mistake. I don't see how the customer won't trust you any more, unless the mail contained actual information that would have broken that trust. Obvious examples being revealing dishonesty or malpractice in your company's relationship with them, offensive material, or deliberately revealing confidential material for gain.
– Julia Hayward
Sep 18 '13 at 16:07
2
@JuliaHayward you can't handle dealing with the consequences of a mistake -- absolutely. That's why I asked the original question; I'm wondering if I could do better that what I have done (described in the question body).
– bytebuster
Sep 18 '13 at 16:19
1
I think others have said it better, but (i) be honest with your boss - which you did - and (ii) trust your boss's judgement. If it had caused damage to the company he would have bawled you out. If it had caused serious damage to the company, he would have fired you. He didn't.
– Julia Hayward
Sep 19 '13 at 14:38