“Sorry for whatever” isn’t an apology. Name the thing, or it didn’t count.
LEADERSHIP
WHAT THIS MEANS
An unspecific apology asks to be forgiven without admitting what for. It protects the person offering it, since nothing has been conceded and the conversation can be closed. The other person is left holding the original injury plus the new insult of being told it has been dealt with.
Say what you did, in the plainest words, and leave out the explanation for a minute. Then say what you will do differently and stop talking. Specificity is uncomfortable, and that discomfort is most of what makes an apology land.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
When did you apologize without naming what you did?
MORE IN INTEGRITY & CHARACTER
- Someone gave you their password, their secret or their Saturday. What you do with that access is your whole reputation.
- Being liked is easy weight. Being trusted is heavier, and it’s the one worth carrying.
- You said yes on Monday when you were hyped. Keeping it on Friday when you’re tired is the actual loyalty.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.