💇🏼‍♀️ Here’s Why You Can Screw Up But Never F*** Up

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My former boss would say all the time, “You can screw up, but you can never “F*** up.”

Screwing up is making a mistake like dropping off a FedEx package 5-minutes after pickup is scheduled for the night. F***ing up is lying to your boss to say you made it to the dropbox by the deadline and have no idea why FedEx didn’t pickup your specific package. Then, creating an elaborate story how after calling FedEx 10-times to demand the whereabouts of your package, you found out that the FedEx truck broke down during a rainstorm and packages would arrive the next day.

I actually observed the above story play out and it wasn’t pretty. This guy F***ed up majorly! FedEx rarely makes mistakes. They track everything and give you immediate answers. The lie unraveled quickly and made the assistant look like a schmuck, never to be trusted. It was a matter of time before he was out.

We all make mistakes. it is better just to fess up in the beginning. When you admit fault, you engender trust and pave the way for a long relationship.

Years ago, I went to a new hairdresser who came highly recommended. I made an appointment for 9:30am on a Saturday. I got there at 9:20 and waited and waited for my new hair person to arrive. Around 9:40, the receptionist said the hairdresser was on the phone and wanted to talk to me. Keep in mind, this was the first time I had ever spoken to her. I picked up the phone and she immediately apologized for not being there. She said that she normally doesn’t make appts earlier than 10am and she just screwed-up. She’d be there by 9:50 and was really sorry for the inconvenience.

She could have very easily blamed traffic but it just wasn’t true. In the grand scheme of things, had she told me a “white lie” in that moment, I probably would have never known the difference. But she chose the route of integrity. That tiny experience with her indicated to me that if she isn’t lying about something small, she probably wouldn’t lie about something big. It planted a seed of trust. I’ve been her client for 18 years now and it all started with an opportunity she didn’t take to tell a little white lie.

So my friends, when you mess up, just fess up. While it may be hard to admit fault in the moment, it could be the starting point of a long standing business or personal relationship.