Shoutout to my manager for pulling me aside after a rough client call

I totally botched a presentation to a client in Chicago last week and was ready to quit, but my boss just said, 'Let's talk about what we can learn from this.' We spent 30 minutes breaking down what went wrong without any blame. How do you guys handle major screw-ups without letting it wreck your confidence?

3 comments

3 Comments

tylermurray4d ago

Ha, must be nice. Last time I had a rough call, my manager handed me the recording and asked me to "self-diagnose" in a Google Doc. Took me three hours to find the courage to hit play. Sure, your boss sounds like a saint compared to mine. But I'd be half tempted to ask for a written script for every future call just to dodge another 30 minute "learning" session. Glad it worked out though. At least you didn't have to email the client a self-aware apology haiku like one of my coworkers did.

jessica_miller1mo ago

Wow, that's a boss who knows how to build you back up (instead of tearing you down).

hayden_rivera1mo ago

Actually have to disagree with you there @jessica_miller. That kind of talk can feel fake, like they're just trying to keep you happy. Had a boss who did that, but then never gave real feedback on how to fix mistakes. It left me feeling lost, like I was just being managed instead of helped to get better.