05/28/2019

Getting An Apology Right Can Save Your Business

Apologies build bridges that move us forward

Civilization depends on the apology. When humans interact and something goes wrong, the apology builds a bridge that enables us to move forward.

But apologies are failing more often. Two reasons: First, organizations aren’t humans, and organizations often seek to avoid or industrialize the human work that civilization needs. And secondly, the apology is a complex organism, one with many structures and purposes, and our culture models (or fails to model) how it’s supposed to be done.

Consider that we can say, “I’m sorry” at a funeral even if we didn’t murder the deceased, but we also say, “I’m sorry” when we bump into someone in a crowded train station and “I’m sorry” when we get caught shoplifting. Three different situations, with fundamentally different amounts of complicity, blame or guilt.

Please select this link to read the complete blog post from Seth's Blog.