Apologizing Carefully

Serena is inspired to apologize to Carol and wants a Sorry Day at Cutting Edge. They discuss different forms of sorry including the empathy. Sam and Michael take time out to work on their apologies for ongoing disputes, but they argue about how to apologize. Carol tells Serena about what she believes to be a very useful tool, the ‘fake sorry’. 

Carol thinks she rarely has to apologize for anything because she says she thinks before she acts.  Serena apologizes to Carol for various things such as arriving unexpectedly at the office, and wants to introduce a Sorry Day into the office where people could apologise for all sorts of things. Serena describes various ways of saying sorry including the empathy sorry which is “I’m sorry you feel that way, and what can I do to help the situation.” Sam and Michael have relationship issues that have escalated into the workplace.  Sam apologizes to Michael for having thrown his picture out when he was angry with some of Michael’s behavior.  Sanjay on the other hand never really apologizes to anyone because he believes he is always right.  Michael and Sam continue to bicker about how and why each of them should apologize, with Michael missing the point about why Sam is angry and why he should apologize.  Carol tells Serena about what she believes to be a very useful tool, the ‘fake sorry’ which is totally insincere.  

  Key Learning Points

“Apologize when you have done something wrong. It clears the air so everyone can move forward.”

ALWAYS APOLOGIZE WITH CARE

Don’t avoid saying sorry
INSTEAD: Say sorry to reduce tension

Don’t get stuck on blaming
INSTEAD: Acknowledge your mistakes

Don’t offer a fake sorry
INSTEAD: Offer a genuine apology

Don’t think ‘sorry’ is enough
INSTEAD: Follow up with actions