Hot take: Should you quit when a project blows up or push through? Here's my story

I was in a conference room in downtown Austin about 4 months ago, giving a mid-quarter presentation to my boss and two VPs. About 10 minutes in, the data I was showing didn't match the last report I sent. I froze for a second, realized the spreadsheet had a formula error from a merge I did wrong the night before. I could either bluff and try to talk around it or stop and say I messed up. I chose to stop, told them the numbers were off and I needed to recheck the whole thing. They actually respected that more than I expected, even though I lost some trust in the moment. My boss pulled me aside later and said honesty matters more than perfection. So what do you think, is it better to admit a mistake on the spot or try to save face and fix it later?

2 comments

2 Comments

avery_foster3127d agoTop Commenter

Wow, honestly I used to be the opposite and thought you should always bluff through and fix it later! But your story really opened my eyes to how admitting a mistake can earn you more respect than pretending everything's fine. I'm definitely rethinking how I handle my own screw ups now.

wood.zara27d ago

Tbh I think people overthink this stuff. Like unless you messed up something major, most people don't care that much and they'll forget about it in a day.