An apology you don’t back up with new behavior is just a commercial break before the same show.

Apologies are predictions, and behavior decides whether the prediction was true. The words are the easy part, produced quickly under pressure, and they buy a short stretch of patience. When nothing changes, the second apology is worth less than the first and the fourth is worth nothing at all. Repetition without adjustment teaches people to stop listening.

Before you apologize, decide the one thing you will do differently and name it out loud. Make it small enough that you will genuinely do it. Then let the next few weeks make the argument for you.