Advancing your career does not mean having a flawless, winning run at everything you try. Making mistakes are a critical part of learning and an effective way of finding ways to improve experiences throughout your professional life. Here are some tips on how to effectively learn from your mistakes:

• Write a reflection of the mistake you made, identifying where you went wrong and what led to the error
• Reflect on how you felt – was it anger, embarrassment, frustration? This will help you manage your emotions and responses to mistakes in the future, and also make you empathetic and supportive when your colleagues experience the same thing.
• Note down how you resolved it. Did you get help from a manager? Was it a simple solution that could have been found with a more thorough review process? Whatever the resolution, have it detailed clearly and keep it somewhere accessible so that you can avoid making the mistake again. Then you can truly say you have turned a negative experience into something positive and long-term.

While it can feel like making mistakes slow down your career advancement, managing them diplomatically and professionally will show your colleagues, managers and stakeholders that you are resilient and flexible, focused on the best outcomes no matter what challenges lie in your way.