-
- I’m sorry!
- My bad!
- It won’t happen again!
- My mistake I’m really sorry!
To some people those words are foreign! To some people they just aren’t able to review a situation and find areas that they could have done a little bit better or they were totally wrong. Without question I have made mistakes, in fact many. Regardless, in my personal or business life there are plenty. With each situation I am hopeful that I learned a little bit. I grew a little bit, matured, and because of that situation I am a little stronger, wiser, and better for it.
I am sure we all know someone:
- Who isn’t able to say these words?
- Who regardless of the situation always blames everyone else?
- Who just can’t say I’m sorry?
How do you handle it and what do you say to them?
I look forward to reading your comments.
P.S. My hope is that all of us can learn from this post!
stephenie gordon says:
my husband would say that i don’t know how to use these words… HA! HA! HA!
to be honest, in my 20’s i did struggle with this in business. it took time to learn that if you step up and apologize it is much easier to handle the situation. Even if someone else was to blame; in the end, if you are the one the client / colleague / friend is approaching, then clearly you have a part in the matter and can apologize on their behalf without placing blame, move forward with that person, and then correct the situation with the others involved. Being a manager stinks sometimes, but this truly makes things easier. SOMEONE REMIND ME OF THIS NEXT TIME I HAVE A MAJOR ISSUE… 🙂
Scott Baker says:
Good topic Merrill and so true. We all make mistakes and will again, but how we own up to it, fix the situation and ultimately learn from the situation is such a valuable thing.
Jeff Adler says:
Back in September, Donald Trump appeared on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” During the show, he said:
“I fully think apologizing is a great thing but you have to be wrong.”
“I will absolutely apologize sometime in the hopefully distant future if I’m ever wrong.”
Ed Sugar says:
More times than not, most of our journeys in life consist of “three steps forward and two behind” in whatever endeavor we wish to pursue.
Over the years I have found out that when I have made a mistake the best path to take is to immediately 1. own up to it 2. rectify it 3. get on on with it.
Life is not perfect and neither are we. (Well maybe except to the presidential candidate cited above).
Beverly says:
My 13yo daughter! Mostly only with us parents, though, so I think it’s selective apology-resistance. She’ll be fine in the rest of the world!
Dan Krason says:
I think it becomes a little easier with age. For me, the big lesson I was taught about apologizing is that it should be short and sweet. When someone apologizes — and then feels the need to explain themselves — they’ve just negated everything… Say you’re sorry. Mean it. Then stop.
One more thing about apologies… Some salespeople get into a habit for apologizing for things outside of their control. Whether sincere or not, they weaken the sentiment by overusing it. If I walk into an Apple Store and ask to buy an iPhone for $50, they don’t owe me an apology. A polite “no” would be nice — but they have nothing for which to apologize.