By Andrea Goeglein
Have you ever had your apology NOT accepted?
There is a lot of talk about forgiveness and why it is good for you to forgive. When doing forgiveness work you are cautioned not to expect anything from the person you perceived harmed you. They may not care if you forgive them. Your perception of harm is your problem not theirs.
What happens when the shoe is on the other proverbial foot. You know you did something wrong and you want to apologize — not to be forgiven, but to take responsibility for what you did. You make the effort, maybe even a lot of effort, and you are rebuffed. You can apologize all you want, it is not being accepted. Or it is being superficially accepted, but the resentment and hurt is still evident.
I have seen this happen a lot in business. I have been on both the receiving and giving end of this stick. I believe it is harder in business because your economic security is on the line. Trust is hard enough, but when you do something or someone does something to you, there is the additional burden of the action affecting your financial future. So what to do?
Dr. Success Challenge: The Challenge is simple: when you have made a mistake, apologize regardless of whether the person accepts your apology. It is not about you, it is about becoming clear about what is the right thing to do.
Happy apologizing. Taking responsibility is its own forgiveness. Thank you.
