The £10 000 mistake...

Yes, you read that correctly! I put my hands up and admit that I was the guilty. 

 

What to do with such a costly mistake? Be honest. 

 

My last fulltime job (before going self-employed) was as Head of English (from KS1 - KS5 and overseeing 4 campuses) as well as being Head of KS4 at an international school. Pretty impressive, if I say so myself. I loved it. Every day was different and not only did I teach but I also mentored/ coached staff. I was in my element. 

 

I had taken over an aimless English department: no schemes of work, no planning, no direction and no reading books for the primary school. Working with dedicated and passionate teachers, I was able to transform things. 

 

Getting a reading programme for the primary section was urgent; pivotal. Improve reading skills and young people improve in all subjects. I set to work. Consulting teachers and the heads of the four campuses, three programmes were shortlisted and with careful consideration one was chosen. I had that exhilarating feeling that I could spend a huge sum of money that wasn't mine! 

 

The logistics of the getting the books: London to Krakow. Driven and delivered across the border to Kyiv. Books counted and distributed to all campuses, one of which was 500 miles away.  

 

And then. Horror. The email that began, 'Margarithe, I think we have the wrong books….' My forehead was wet. My stomach was sick. My heart seized. Noooooo! Can't be! Alas. It was. I had transposed two digits in the reference number. My first thought was, 'Flee! I can Uber it to the airport.'  

 

But I have integrity. 

 

I dragged myself downstairs to speak to the principal. My face must've said all as his PA just nodded me through. I blurted out what I had done and that £10 000 was a fair chunk of change to lose. He asked, for me, a strange question - why I was admitting to what I had done. My answer was simple. I am honest and and hiding a £10 000 mistake isn't so easy.  

 

'Can you fix it?' 

'Yes.' 

 

And so the delivery process went into reverse. The publishers agreed to swap the reading programme for the right one even though we were past the return date but on condition everything arrived back in London. The next two weeks were the longest of my £10 000 mistake. They arrived. Correct books sent. Unpacked. Happy teachers and children. Relieved me.  

 

It often appears that the dishonest get far, make more money and seem to have it all. Appearances are, however, for the most part, deceiving. Scratch the surface and happiness is a veneer. A sham. Dishonesty creates guilt and fear and that is not how I want to live my life. Being honest is integral to who I am and making such a huge mistake could have had dire consequences but it was sorted. Interestingly my principal commented to me a few days later that the mistake was just that, a mistake, and even if it couldn't be rectified, his respect for me increased because I had held my hands up. 

 

The lesson - be true to yourself. Own your mistakes. Rectify them. Learn from them. Move on. 

 

Now where did that £100 000 go…? 

 

Next time: The Mythical Work-Life Balance