1. Apologize quickly
Regardless of the magnitude of your mistake, always apologize humbly and sincerely. It may not help the employee who insults her CFO’s fashion choice, but if the CFO has any sense of humor she might even say, “I hate this brooch, too, but my husband gave it to me so I had to wear it!”
2. Rebuild your boss’ trust
Tell your boss that your behavior was a lapse in judgment that will never happen again. Assure him you can be trusted with clients, and ask for an opportunity to prove yourself. If you get overlooked for a promotion, ask what you need to do to be considered in the future.
3. Shut down office gossip
If you want your embarrassing moment to fade from memory, don’t laugh off co-workers’ “reminiscing,” as you’ll be inadvertently encouraging it. Tell whomever brought it up that you are mortified by what happened, and ask that person to please stop.