Dear Dr. Mimi:
I have been working on a special project for my boss for a few days, and today I totally dropped the ball. I made a huge mistake and am afraid I’m not going to be able to correct it. My deadline is tomorrow, and I am panicking about what my boss is going to say if I don’t have this project finished. Should I tell my boss about the mistake and ask for extra time to finish or just rush to finish by my original deadline?
—Dropped the Ball

Dear Dropped:
Don’t freak out about making a mistake. You’re human, I’m human, your boss is human, and we all make mistakes. Owning up to your mistakes is what sets us apart. Take responsibility for your actions. Tell your boss what happened, but don’t dwell on the mistake. Instead, explain how you’re going to fix the problem. Your boss will respect you a lot more for taking responsibility for your actions. See if you can get more time to finish the project. If at all possible, do it the right way rather than rushing and producing something that doesn’t meet expectations.
—Dr. Mimi