Saying sorry sooner

Some leaders would do almost anything other than say sorry. Explain, contextualise, excuse, 'clarify' - anything but the actual word required to reset relationships.

As a young manager, I used to understand why. Sorry feels like admitting you got it wrong, in front of the people who report to you and you’d lose respect as a result. Yet, these behaviours are long out of date.

We now know from research, however, that a sincere apology repairs trust, while a vague one makes things worse - because people can always tell the difference (who knew?!). And the longer you leave it, the less it works.

The best leaders I’ve worked with don't agonise over any of this. They have behaviours fit for today. They say sorry, show humility, demonstrate they mean it, and they move on. So does everyone else.