What to do when VP schedules meeting to "debrief" on error you made?

[Anonymous]

In other words, to blame you for the collapse of a deal for making a small error on a PPT slide. He was emailing me one-liners over the weekend about it, and now has set up time to "debrief about it". Aka yell at me. What's the best way to handle? Smile & nod? Stand up for myself?

[Anonymous]

Acknowledge you made the mistake, offer a couple of solutions for correcting in published/distributed versions, and explain how you're going to avoid doing it in the future.

Don't personalize it or make excuses. If you argue, it's going to give him opportunities to argue and get madder. Let bulldozers and yellers run out of steam. Once they do, talk process and business.

[Anonymous]

Talk about what you are going to do in the future to avoid making a similar error. Be prepared with process improvements across the whole team/activity that will improve the outcome next time.

If at all possible, identify a way to fix the current situation.

[Anonymous]

OP here, the reason I made the error is because I had no support. I am literally running a huge program myself with no experts to consult with or ask questions, so of course sooner or later I was going to make an error because I'm literally on an island over here. What I need is for my company to provide that support, but they have struggled with hiring. I am worried if I tell him that, it personalizes/excuses the error which as the PP mentions will give him more steam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, the reason I made the error is because I had no support. I am literally running a huge program myself with no experts to consult with or ask questions, so of course sooner or later I was going to make an error because I'm literally on an island over here. What I need is for my company to provide that support, but they have struggled with hiring. I am worried if I tell him that, it personalizes/excuses the error which as the PP mentions will give him more steam.

You sound defensive and like you're making excuses - which is understandable, but get it out of your system on dcum before your meeting.

Think forward. What do you need (specifically!) to make sure it doesn't happen in the future. What process will you change (even with no additional support or staff) to minimize errors in the future.

It's OK to ask for something (tools or people) if you need it to do your job better, but it's not OK to just say "I had not support" And if you do ask for something, it needs to be specific and constructive, not just "more people, I'm overwhelmed!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, the reason I made the error is because I had no support. I am literally running a huge program myself with no experts to consult with or ask questions, so of course sooner or later I was going to make an error because I'm literally on an island over here. What I need is for my company to provide that support, but they have struggled with hiring. I am worried if I tell him that, it personalizes/excuses the error which as the PP mentions will give him more steam.

You sound defensive and like you're making excuses - which is understandable, but get it out of your system on dcum before your meeting.

Think forward. What do you need (specifically!) to make sure it doesn't happen in the future. What process will you change (even with no additional support or staff) to minimize errors in the future.

It's OK to ask for something (tools or people) if you need it to do your job better, but it's not OK to just say "I had not support" And if you do ask for something, it needs to be specific and constructive, not just "more people, I'm overwhelmed!"

+1

The thing you need could be more help prioritizing what is important, so you can make time to pay attention to detail on the things that are important. But do some real assessment before you ask for this around whether this is a problem for the role (everyone in it is making the same kinds of mistakes) or a problem for you personally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, the reason I made the error is because I had no support. I am literally running a huge program myself with no experts to consult with or ask questions, so of course sooner or later I was going to make an error because I'm literally on an island over here. What I need is for my company to provide that support, but they have struggled with hiring. I am worried if I tell him that, it personalizes/excuses the error which as the PP mentions will give him more steam.

You sound defensive and like you're making excuses - which is understandable, but get it out of your system on dcum before your meeting.

Think forward. What do you need (specifically!) to make sure it doesn't happen in the future. What process will you change (even with no additional support or staff) to minimize errors in the future.

It's OK to ask for something (tools or people) if you need it to do your job better, but it's not OK to just say "I had not support" And if you do ask for something, it needs to be specific and constructive, not just "more people, I'm overwhelmed!"

+1

The thing you need could be more help prioritizing what is important, so you can make time to pay attention to detail on the things that are important. But do some real assessment before you ask for this around whether this is a problem for the role (everyone in it is making the same kinds of mistakes) or a problem for you personally.

OP again, so the funny part is that I was told to totally de-prioritize this specific client due to the low odds of getting a deal done with them, by people higher up than this VP, since I was simultaneously working on 60+ other deals of higher importance. The SVP told me to put in minimal effort for this client and to not spend very much of my time on it. Regardless of the error, the client clearly indicated they didn't want to sign with us, but I think this VP wants to pin the reason on me since it was his pursuit.

I am really not sure what could be changed to prevent this in the future. Sending all PPTs through a secondary review (of resources that don't exist)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, the reason I made the error is because I had no support. I am literally running a huge program myself with no experts to consult with or ask questions, so of course sooner or later I was going to make an error because I'm literally on an island over here. What I need is for my company to provide that support, but they have struggled with hiring. I am worried if I tell him that, it personalizes/excuses the error which as the PP mentions will give him more steam.

You sound defensive and like you're making excuses - which is understandable, but get it out of your system on dcum before your meeting.

Think forward. What do you need (specifically!) to make sure it doesn't happen in the future. What process will you change (even with no additional support or staff) to minimize errors in the future.

It's OK to ask for something (tools or people) if you need it to do your job better, but it's not OK to just say "I had not support" And if you do ask for something, it needs to be specific and constructive, not just "more people, I'm overwhelmed!"

+1

The thing you need could be more help prioritizing what is important, so you can make time to pay attention to detail on the things that are important. But do some real assessment before you ask for this around whether this is a problem for the role (everyone in it is making the same kinds of mistakes) or a problem for you personally.

OP again, so the funny part is that I was told to totally de-prioritize this specific client due to the low odds of getting a deal done with them, by people higher up than this VP, since I was simultaneously working on 60+ other deals of higher importance. The SVP told me to put in minimal effort for this client and to not spend very much of my time on it. Regardless of the error, the client clearly indicated they didn't want to sign with us, but I think this VP wants to pin the reason on me since it was his pursuit.

I am really not sure what could be changed to prevent this in the future. Sending all PPTs through a secondary review (of resources that don't exist)?

So what was the actual source of the error? Is it a typo? Incorrect info you guessed but didn't have time to fact check? It is unreasonable to send everything you do through a secondary review of everything in it... you need to get better at proofing yourself in that case. But maybe it's reasonable to get an escalation/review process if it's something you had to guess on or otherwise couldn't find the info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, the reason I made the error is because I had no support. I am literally running a huge program myself with no experts to consult with or ask questions, so of course sooner or later I was going to make an error because I'm literally on an island over here. What I need is for my company to provide that support, but they have struggled with hiring. I am worried if I tell him that, it personalizes/excuses the error which as the PP mentions will give him more steam.

You sound defensive and like you're making excuses - which is understandable, but get it out of your system on dcum before your meeting.

Think forward. What do you need (specifically!) to make sure it doesn't happen in the future. What process will you change (even with no additional support or staff) to minimize errors in the future.

It's OK to ask for something (tools or people) if you need it to do your job better, but it's not OK to just say "I had not support" And if you do ask for something, it needs to be specific and constructive, not just "more people, I'm overwhelmed!"

+1

The thing you need could be more help prioritizing what is important, so you can make time to pay attention to detail on the things that are important. But do some real assessment before you ask for this around whether this is a problem for the role (everyone in it is making the same kinds of mistakes) or a problem for you personally.

OP again, so the funny part is that I was told to totally de-prioritize this specific client due to the low odds of getting a deal done with them, by people higher up than this VP, since I was simultaneously working on 60+ other deals of higher importance. The SVP told me to put in minimal effort for this client and to not spend very much of my time on it. Regardless of the error, the client clearly indicated they didn't want to sign with us, but I think this VP wants to pin the reason on me since it was his pursuit.

I am really not sure what could be changed to prevent this in the future. Sending all PPTs through a secondary review (of resources that don't exist)?

So what was the actual source of the error? Is it a typo? Incorrect info you guessed but didn't have time to fact check? It is unreasonable to send everything you do through a secondary review of everything in it... you need to get better at proofing yourself in that case. But maybe it's reasonable to get an escalation/review process if it's something you had to guess on or otherwise couldn't find the info.

Yes, it was the result of reading a policy and turning that into a financial calculation, which it turns out that I misinterpreted, even though at the time I felt pretty sure that I had interpreted it correctly. If I felt uncertain about it, I definitely would have at least flagged it or tried to find someone to check it for me, but in this instance I felt pretty sure. So much of my job involves me guessing at things (I do financial modeling) and combing through vague policies and statements and turning that into projections. There is possibility for this type of error all the time. Without more resources to perform secondary reviews/QA's of my work, the risk of making errors like this will probably not go away. The best I can think to do is to own the mistake, apologize that I didn't interpret correctly, and suggest that next time we should have one of our experts review it (even though I will be saying that tongue in cheek, because our experts have repeatedly declined to support me due to their resource constraints). Yes, I know I have been set up for failure in my job, it's not a great place to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So what was the actual source of the error? Is it a typo? Incorrect info you guessed but didn't have time to fact check? It is unreasonable to send everything you do through a secondary review of everything in it... you need to get better at proofing yourself in that case. But maybe it's reasonable to get an escalation/review process if it's something you had to guess on or otherwise couldn't find the info.

Yes, it was the result of reading a policy and turning that into a financial calculation, which it turns out that I misinterpreted, even though at the time I felt pretty sure that I had interpreted it correctly. If I felt uncertain about it, I definitely would have at least flagged it or tried to find someone to check it for me, but in this instance I felt pretty sure. So much of my job involves me guessing at things (I do financial modeling) and combing through vague policies and statements and turning that into projections. There is possibility for this type of error all the time. Without more resources to perform secondary reviews/QA's of my work, the risk of making errors like this will probably not go away. The best I can think to do is to own the mistake, apologize that I didn't interpret correctly, and suggest that next time we should have one of our experts review it (even though I will be saying that tongue in cheek, because our experts have repeatedly declined to support me due to their resource constraints). Yes, I know I have been set up for failure in my job, it's not a great place to be.

So maybe there's answer in here like clarifying the policy, creating training around the policy, or creating a secondary review just of that policy. The fact that you have tried but been unable to get secondary support from related experts is also important information.

But in all of this, you have to turn a critical eye on yourself... Would anyone in this role have failed here? Is everyone else like you having the same issues? Then it's structural and you are set up to fail. If there are others navigating this successfully, what are they doing differently?

Bottom line, be truly self-reflective about your role in this, own the error and express a genuine desire to make efforts to do better, come with constructive ideas both to address any issues you can personally address, as well as structural ideas for improvement on a wider scale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So what was the actual source of the error? Is it a typo? Incorrect info you guessed but didn't have time to fact check? It is unreasonable to send everything you do through a secondary review of everything in it... you need to get better at proofing yourself in that case. But maybe it's reasonable to get an escalation/review process if it's something you had to guess on or otherwise couldn't find the info.

Yes, it was the result of reading a policy and turning that into a financial calculation, which it turns out that I misinterpreted, even though at the time I felt pretty sure that I had interpreted it correctly. If I felt uncertain about it, I definitely would have at least flagged it or tried to find someone to check it for me, but in this instance I felt pretty sure. So much of my job involves me guessing at things (I do financial modeling) and combing through vague policies and statements and turning that into projections. There is possibility for this type of error all the time. Without more resources to perform secondary reviews/QA's of my work, the risk of making errors like this will probably not go away. The best I can think to do is to own the mistake, apologize that I didn't interpret correctly, and suggest that next time we should have one of our experts review it (even though I will be saying that tongue in cheek, because our experts have repeatedly declined to support me due to their resource constraints). Yes, I know I have been set up for failure in my job, it's not a great place to be.

So maybe there's answer in here like clarifying the policy, creating training around the policy, or creating a secondary review just of that policy. The fact that you have tried but been unable to get secondary support from related experts is also important information.

But in all of this, you have to turn a critical eye on yourself... Would anyone in this role have failed here? Is everyone else like you having the same issues? Then it's structural and you are set up to fail. If there are others navigating this successfully, what are they doing differently?

Bottom line, be truly self-reflective about your role in this, own the error and express a genuine desire to make efforts to do better, come with constructive ideas both to address any issues you can personally address, as well as structural ideas for improvement on a wider scale.

Thanks so much PP for talking me through this!!! I think I've got my approach together. I'm going to own the mistake, express that I genuinely was trying to help and am lamenting the oversight, explain how our typical process has worked in the past with secondary review, and how unfortunately that support has not been available this go-round and that I've truly tried to do my best in the vacuum.

Ugh, this VP is a total jerk but I know I need to be a calm, collected sounding board for his vent on this one

[Anonymous]

Most posters on DCUM are dog-eat-dog types; they're going to tell you to bend over and spread the cheeks. Ignore them and figure out your long term goals. If you don't have any other options, say whatever necessary to keep your job. If you have options, stand your ground.

[Anonymous]

Smile and nod.

[Anonymous]

The easier and comforting advice to follow is to accept responsibility, etc...

Based on the facts you have presented and my experience, I wouldn't do that here.

The project was de-prioritized. The VP may be looking for a reason to blame the loss of deal on. It's time to turn the VP and SVP against each other.

In my experience, unfortunately, the craft pyschopaths generally did well while the upstanding worker bees took the fall and got passed up for promotions.

You sound like you do good work, so get busy sharpening your elbows and defend yourself - without looking defensive.

To VP:
You have to sounds like you are taking responsibility while actually blaming SVP

"Yes, it is unfortunate that the result came to x dollars over y years. When I ran some test scenarios, I saw the result might be different under a, b, c assumptions but didn't run them through the model because SVP told me pencils down.

To SVP:

Same intro as above. Except "It made sense to prioritize VP's client. I understand. Especially in light of non-signed VP client telling VP they had no intent to sign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The easier and comforting advice to follow is to accept responsibility, etc...

Based on the facts you have presented and my experience, I wouldn't do that here.

The project was de-prioritized. The VP may be looking for a reason to blame the loss of deal on. It's time to turn the VP and SVP against each other.

In my experience, unfortunately, the craft pyschopaths generally did well while the upstanding worker bees took the fall and got passed up for promotions.

You sound like you do good work, so get busy sharpening your elbows and defend yourself - without looking defensive.

To VP:
You have to sounds like you are taking responsibility while actually blaming SVP

"Yes, it is unfortunate that the result came to x dollars over y years. When I ran some test scenarios, I saw the result might be different under a, b, c assumptions but didn't run them through the model because SVP told me pencils down.

To SVP:

Same intro as above. Except "It made sense to prioritize VP's client. I understand. Especially in light of non-signed VP client telling VP they had no intent to sign.

This is OP and you have described me to a T. I was asked to take on this project, knowing the inherent risks due to no support, and I threw myself into it and have been met with praise from all levels of the organization (including the VP in question, until none of his deals sold and now he's coming after me). And yet, I continue to get passed up for promo, despite even my boss saying I've earned it, due to "budget pitfalls" while these VPs continue to receive huge bonus checks. I love your advice because it accurately reflects the truth about SVP telling me pencils down, etc.