How to recover after making a bad decision at work, according to an executive coach

Instead of running away, you can reset someone’s negative impression by learning from the mistake, moving on quickly, and showcasing your strengths.

Making mistakes in your career is inevitable, so what matters is how you recover from them. Tetra Images/Getty Images

By Harrison Monarth

In May on a trip to Jamaica, I was invited for a drink with the legendary music producer Chris Blackwell, at his Goldeneye resort. We made small talk, and I asked him how he got started in the music business. Blackwell, who’d just turned 84, is probably best known for launching the careers of artists like Bob Marley, Grace Jones, U2, and many others.

He answered that he had no experience in the music business whatsoever when he started out, so I asked him if he’d relied on passion and good instincts.

“I don’t know about good instincts,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “I turned down Pink Floyd, Elton John, and Madonna.” And then he shrugged and smiled.

As a successful music mogul, Blackwell can easily be philosophical about having made some poor choices in his life; he’s obviously made many good ones, too, and he knows a bad decision doesn’t mean it’s the end of road.

A great deal of career trajectories and livelihoods hinge on demonstrating good judgment and making smart decisions. But life is a balancing…