Welcome back to the look and sound of leadership.

An ongoing series of executive coaching tips designed to help you be perceived in the workplace the way you want to be perceived.

I'm Tom Henshel, your executive coach, and today we're talking about how to act in your own best interest.

Edwin was already shaking his head when he popped onto my screen for our coaching call. He opened with,

oh boy, I really stepped in it.

I knew Edwin had a sincere drive to do the right thing when he felt himself off the mark he suffered.

Even though he was smiling now, I could see this was no small matter to him. He told me what happened.

Edwin had created a document for his boss, Marta. He had intended the document for her eyes only and assumed she would treat it as such.

Ten days later, Marta sent an email to dozens of people including Edwin. She referenced a document that she had shared in a different setting.

Edwin could tell she was referring to the document he had created for her that had not been intended for distribution.

The fact that she'd shared it wasn't what disturbed him. He accepted that he had not been explicit about confidentiality.

What disturbed him was that the document was going to stir up a hornet's nest of upset.

Wanting to protect Marta from blowback, Edwin composed a heartfelt apology, took full responsibility for the document Marta had referred to,

and sent the email to the distribution list.

Almost immediately he found out he was wrong. The document Marta had referenced had nothing to do with Edwin's.

Marta had kept Edwin's document confidential.

Edwin felt there were so many people to apologize to. He didn't know where to start. He was mortified. He had, as he said, stepped in it.

I watched as he gathered himself. He said,

I've been here before, you know. What do you mean, I asked?

I think about being with my friends in school. I'd be the one guy arguing that, no, we really should do it that way.

And then I would come to find out I'd missed the boat somewhere along the line and gone off down my own path.

Huh, that's interesting. I said, what was happening? You mean, why was I doing it?

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