Professional ways to handle a colleague’s mistake

Even the best teams slip up. A colleague might miscalculate a client’s revenue, miss a tax deadline or send an invoice with the wrong figures. Suddenly, it is not just their error — the fallout impacts everyone.

But mistakes do not have to be setbacks. Handled well, they become opportunities: a chance for professionals to turn a slip-up into a learning moment, strengthen the team, build trust and reinforce a culture that thrives under pressure.

According to Anna Marshall, director at leadership development consultancy People Mastery, mistakes and the way they are addressed go straight to the heart of team dynamics.

“If handled poorly, you are basically undermining the trust of the whole team and the culture of your organisation,” she warns. “For example, if you are working on a report with a colleague and notice an error after it is submitted, it affects the whole team and can reflect poorly on everyone.

“My advice is to always address it one-on-one,” Marshall continues. “Take the person aside and have a quiet conversation — never in front of others — to avoid embarrassment and keep the focus on solving the issue.”

Start with curiosity

Creating an environment where mistakes are addressed constructively starts with adopting a curiosity‑first mindset. Rather than jumping to judgement, team members can approach errors with questions that assume positive intent.

Marshall suggest reframing the response — for example, "I wonder what happened there?" — so that individuals feel safe to explain the context rather than resort to defensiveness.

Organisational psychologist and executive coach Simi Rayat says that this curiosity does not signal weakness but instead shows competence and support.

She identifies five leadership behaviours that promote psychological safety and trust: sharing fallibility, asking with curiosity, framing mistakes as learning opportunities, equalising voices and recognising contributions.

She believes these behaviours make conversations about mistakes easier and more constructive.

Instead of taking an accusatory approach, asking a question like, “Is there any context I might be missing?” can reduce tension and keep the focus on understanding the issue rather than placing blame, Rayat says.

Stick to the facts

Clear communication is equally essential when addressing mistakes. Marshall recommends using structured, fact-based language.

“The first thing you need to do is state what happened. It is a three-step process: you explain what happened, how you feel about it and what you want instead,” she says.

Rayat advises using neutral terms like “discrepancy” rather than “error” and framing questions with curiosity. She suggests phrasing such as “Could you walk me through your approach?”, which keeps the focus on understanding the process.

Tailor the approach

How professionals tailor their responses to the experience level and seniority of the colleague also matters. For less experienced team members, Marshall suggests a mentoring tone, such as “I noticed this did not go as planned. Would you like to talk it through? I have handled this quite a few times before.”

With senior colleagues, she recommends language such as, “Could you help me understand your approach? I do not think I see it the same way you do.”

Leaders themselves should also model accountability. Rayat explains that owning one’s mistakes, rather than hiding them, builds relatability and trust within a team.

Pause before responding

Choosing the right timing and medium for feedback is another important consideration, especially in hybrid environments. Rayat cautions against raising sensitive issues in group settings or via text. “It is really important not to call this out in a group setting… a quick phone call is often best.”

Be mindful of emotional intensity when addressing mistakes and ensuring that emotions are settled before having a difficult conversation, Marshall adds.

“I would say that overnight is probably a good rule of thumb, but at the very least half an hour,” she explains. “If you try to talk to someone within that window, they may still be elevated, and their executive function may still be offline.”

Not all mistakes require escalation, but recurring issues or those with serious implications do. Marshall advises assessing the risk — whether legal, ethical, compliance‑related or client‑impacting — to determine the next steps.

When someone repeatedly makes the same error despite feedback, the issue may no longer be the mistake, Rayat warns.  “The error itself is not the problem at that point. The issue is they are not responding to the feedback, and lack of response to feedback can be extremely career-limiting.”

Importantly, she continues, the way someone responds to a mistake can say just as much as the mistake.

“If you put too much importance on it or if you minimise it entirely, it can send the wrong message,” Rayat says. “Ultimately, how you respond often says more about your leadership than the mistake itself, whether the stakes are small or high-profile.”