“That was me” might be the three most respected words in any locker room.

When something goes wrong in a group, a search starts, and the search costs more than the error did. Somebody claiming it immediately ends the whole process and lets everyone get back to the actual problem. That is why it earns respect instead of losing it, because the person who says it spared the room something it was about to spend.

Next time you know it was you, say so before anyone asks. No explanation attached, just the fact and what you will do about it. The pause that follows is shorter than you expect.