Face the Music, Always

Assalamualaikum w.b.t. and Greetings.

It’s the end of the day. Maybe your last meeting just wrapped up, you’ve finally put the kids to bed, or you’re just sitting back for the first time since morning.

Let’s talk about something we all eventually run into — whether at work, in life, or relationships:

Owning up when something goes wrong.

We all mess up. It’s normal.

If you’ve worked long enough, you’ve made a mistake. Sent the wrong email. Missed a deadline. Crashed something. Forgot something. Said something you shouldn’t have.

At that moment, your brain races:

Should I say something? Will anyone notice? Maybe I can quietly fix it before anyone finds out…

It’s tempting to avoid the discomfort.

To downplay it.

To wait for the storm to pass.

To say, “There was a misunderstanding,” or “I thought someone else was handling it.”

But let’s be real — those aren’t solutions. They are delays.

Delays in trust. Delays in growth. Delays in fixing what needs fixing.

Here’s something that’s happening to me right now as I’m writing this newsletter — I’m about to face the music myself. And trust me, it’s a loud one.

I’ve led two major projects before, and the current one I’m handling is a continuation of the second. But this time, the scope is much larger — and honestly, far more intimidating. Still, I’ve always believed in taking the bull by the horns, and I approached this project no differently. It’s been in motion since the beginning of the year.

But as with any big release or long preparation, hiccups happen. Uncertainty creeps in. And yes, even I’m not spared. Today, I’ll be presenting an update where we missed our promised deadline — not because of an unknown issue, but a known setback.

But that’s not the part that matters most.

Because blaming? That’s not the game.

Taking action is.

Facing the music doesn’t mean being dramatic

Some people think “facing the music” means making a big show of the problem — apologizing loudly, being overly hard on themselves, writing long Slack messages or emails about how sorry they are.

But that’s not the point.

Facing the music means showing up with honesty and maturity. It means saying:

That’s it.

No drama. No hiding. No defensiveness.

It’s simple, and it’s powerful.

What makes it hard?

Often, we avoid responsibility not because we’re lazy — but because we’re scared.

Scared of how we’ll look.

Scared we’ll lose trust.

Scared people will think we’re not good at what we do.

Scared of the confrontation to come.

But the truth is: people trust you more when you own your missteps.

In fact, some of the most respected people I’ve worked with are the ones who can say, without ego:

“That’s my mistake. Let’s move forward with such and such steps.”

You don’t lose respect — you gain it.

When I was still studying, facing the music felt much easier. The risks were low, and the worst-case scenario was usually a bad grade, a tough conversation with a lecturer, or maybe some feedback you could brush off and learn from quietly. It was all part of the process — expected, even.

But now, things are different.

I’m currently working on products used by thousands of users — and it was even more intense during my time at Klarna, where I led the scaling efforts for millions of users in the US and EU market, especially during high-pressure events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

I’m responsible for decisions that affect not just the experience of customers, but also the workflow of hundreds of internal stakeholders. The margin for error feels razor-thin. And when things go wrong, they go really loud.

The transition from low-stakes to high-stakes responsibility is something many of us go through, but no one really prepares us for how heavy it can feel. It’s tempting to hide, delay, or shift blame — but that only makes things worse.

Facing the music at this level requires a new kind of maturity:

• Knowing when to take ownership

• Learning to communicate setbacks early

• Building trust not just through success, but through how you handle failure

The game has changed, yes — but the values remain the same. Transparency, responsibility, and a willingness to grow in public.

And that’s something worth practicing, no matter what stage you’re in.

You don’t have to be the hero. Just be honest.

You don’t need to fix everything overnight.

You don’t need to have the perfect response.

You just need to be accountable. And consistent.

It’s not always about your mistake, either.

Sometimes, you’re just the one left to deal with something broken.

The process was flawed. The handover was messy. The customer is frustrated, but it wasn’t your fault.

Still — you’re here now.

So you respond. You stay calm. You focus on solutions. That’s what facing the music looks like.

Final thoughts

It’s easier to hide, to delay, to explain.

But the longer you avoid it, the heavier it becomes.

And once you’ve faced it? You move on. You grow. You build trust — in others and yourself.

That’s where your real reputation is built.

So here’s a reminder, for both (or all) of us:

• It’s okay to mess up.

• It’s not okay to run away from it.

• You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to show up.

And still, the company’s culture plays an important role in making sure we do not punish those who “own” their mistakes and act on them, as these are the gems we do not want to lose.

I would prefer to stand shoulder-to-shoulder against someone whom I can trust and would not “run away” when we are facing the music.

Before I go

Someone once said:

So show up. Own it. Fix it. And keep moving forward.

Whatever you’re carrying today, may you find the clarity and calm to face it head-on — without fear, without shame, and delay.

May Allah s.w.t. bless us all, and grant us good news, especially to those who are waiting for them eagerly.

🔔 General Update

I’m taking some time off from social media — thank you to those who reached out and checked in.

Going forward, updates on Puddle will be shared directly on the website to keep this newsletter focused and clutter-free.

And as always, I’m still on the journey of figuring things out — even at this stage of life. I’m learning what purpose truly means to me, what genuinely brings me happiness, and how to spend less time in the digital world and more in the physical one, where life unfolds in its simplest, most human ways.

Software solves a lot of things in life, but life happens much more outside of software.