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Toronto Transit Commission chairman and city councillor Adam Giambrone was on the career fast track before he derailed himself this week. But whether it's a bid for the mayor's seat or any other big job that is stopped short by a personal indiscretion or misdeed, it takes more than an 'I'm sorry' to get a career back on track, career pros say. In fact, handled right, the effort to recover can result not only in a career rebirth but even a long-term boost. Wallace Immen reports on lessons to be learned from Mr. Giambrone's experience.

Come clean

What to do

• The first step to rebuilding trust requires an unequivocal public confession and a sincere apology. (Giambrone's statement )
• Mr. Giambrone took that right initial step this week by publicly admitting his affairs, taking responsibility for his actions, and saying "I humbly apologize," says Bruce Sandy, principal of Pathfinder Coaching & Consulting in Vancouver. He also made another right move, Mr. Sandy says, by publicly acknowledging all of the parties who may have been affected by his actions.

The effect

• "Apology doesn't wash away the stain, but it does give you a fresher start with people who will be judging you," Mr. Sandy says.
• How long it takes to rebuild shattered trust depends on the level of forgiveness of the people who feel they've been wronged. "Healing takes time - often months or years," he says. "People will want to see you are sticking to your word because trust has been eroded. To speed up the process of regaining trust, publicly state you have learned from your misdeeds and vow to never make the same mistake again."

Commit to change

What to do

• Make visible efforts to reform. That could mean keeping yourself out of harm's way by, for instance, changing work schedules to eliminate temptation or a compromising situation, Mr. Sandy says.
• Keeping a vow to reform will often require professional help to modify long-standing behaviour not easily changed by willpower alone, Mr. Sandy says.
• In a recent high-profile example, Tiger Woods enrolled in a sex-addiction rehabilitation program after his indiscretions became public last year.

The effect

• Showing efforts to modify the behaviour that got you into trouble will demonstrate to others that you realize you have a problem and are living up to your word by seriously working to make permanent changes, Mr. Sandy says.
• "You are sure to be under increased public scrutiny after you have made a big mistake or committed an indiscretion, so you need to ensure that you don't create any impression that revives any ghost of the past problem."

Focus on your work

What to do

• Throw yourself into your work, suggests Ildi Wiley, and president of Results Continuum Inc. in Jordan, Ont., demonstrating it's the priority. Volunteering to make presentations on what you've learned from your mistakes to professional groups is another way to put your work to your benefit, she says.

The effect

• Shifting attention from your misdeeds to current accomplishments and future achievements will help to make the incident that got you into trouble fade from the minds of managers and co-workers, Ms. Wiley says.
• "Recommitting to your job will demonstrate you are a person who learns from mistakes. People need to see that you are moving beyond the incident and committed to being effective and doing the best job possible."
• In fact, it can even revitalize your career, she says, pointing to former U.S. president Bill Clinton who has since "dedicated himself to humanitarian work ...and huge audiences are now paying to hear him speak."

Become self-aware

What to do

• "To be a strong, trusted leader, you have got to be very clear on what your core values are, and continually examine whether you are living up to them," says Rick Lash, Toronto-based national practice director of leadership coaching company Hay Group.
• "Mr. Giambrone is still relatively young and so he may receive forgiveness more readily by others than someone older for not controlling his impulses," he says. But young or old, anyone in a situation like Mr. Giambrone's "must show maturity by developing an inner belief system that ensures issues never arise again in public or personal life."

The effect

• Trust grows on consistency, Mr. Lash says. "If you develop an inner realization of how selfish your impulses are and make sure you don't act on them, others will feel confident that they can rely on the fact that they can depend on you to act in your and their best interests in all situations." The mature form of power essential for success rises above personal needs for status and personal gratification, he says.

Create a positive buzz

What to do

• When all the attention has been focused on the negative, kick-start your reputation's recovery by gaining attention for something positive, suggests Stephen Friedman, an executive career coach who teaches organizational behaviour at York University's Schulich School of Business.
• He suggests finding a way to push forward an innovative idea in your work, or getting attention in the media for a constructive initiative. "Many leaders take on causes connected to a faux pas in a bold way to show that they have changed."

The effect

• Leaving the negative news behind will show you are also leaving the past behind, Prof. Friedman says.
• But keep a sense of proportion, because, in talking about your new self, you will still have to reference the past, he adds.
• "Once you've come clean, I'd suggest saying 'the management of this issue will remain personal now.' That's a nice way of saying, 'Buzz off about this issue and let me get back to work.' "