Apologies and corrections

One day, an old man strode into his doctor’s office and said, “Doc, my druggist said to tell you to change my prescription and to check the prescription you’ve been giving to my wife, Mrs. Santos.”

“Oh, he did, did he?” the doctor shot back. “And since when does a druggist second guess a doctor’s orders?”

The old man says, “Since he found out I’ve been on birth control pills since February.”

Have you ever been corrected?

 So what do you do when you’re confronted with the fact that you’ve committed a mistake(s)?

In my leadership seminars, I ask my participants this question: “How many among you have or had bosses who committed a mistake as far as dealing with you is concerned?” Invariably, hands will shoot up. My next question is: “How many among you commit mistakes as far as dealing with your own people is concerned, and what do you do about it?” The response: awkward silence!

This is the same question I ask parents when I give parenting seminars all over the country. “How many among you have parents who committed a mistake as far as dealing with you is concerned?” Again, hands will shoot up all over the place. Then I’d ask, “How many among you commit mistakes as far as dealing with your own children is concerned?” Unlike participants in my business seminars, parents would still easily raise their hands. Then I ask them, “So how many among you have really taken the time to sincerely apologize and say sorry to your kids when you’ve committed a mistake?” That’s when I get the awkward silence.

Business leaders make mistakes. Parents make mistakes. That’s good – it verifies the fact that you and I are humans born with factory defects. And does it not make sense that we admit our faults and say sorry rather than be defensive and pretend that there was no mistake at all?

Just because we are who we are doesn’t mean we’re right all the time. But this seems to be the hardest proposition of all.

Most people try to rationalize their mistakes. I’ve met so many people who are so good at finding good reasons to do wrong things. And the more they get off tangent from the truth, the more mistakes they make trying to squirm out of the deep pit they’ve dug for themselves. And the greater the embarrassment they heap upon themselves.

This conversation took place between a businessman and a bystander:

Businessman: Just look at that young person with the short hair and blue jeans. Is it a boy or a girl?

Bystander: “It’s a girl. She’s my daughter.”

Businessman: “Oh, please forgive me, Sir. I had no idea you were her father.”

Bystander: “I’m not. I’m her mother.”

We all make mistakes. When we realize we’ve committed one, we need to humbly apologize and allow ourselves to be corrected. Confucius said, “A man who has committed a mistake and doesn’t correct it, is committing another mistake.”

The truth sets us free.

One more thing: Do not mess up an apology with an excuse!

God bless you!

(Thank you to all those who attended the recently-concluded Developing The Leader Within You! We had a full house during the two-day seminar. The next run will be on October 15-16 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, and is now open for early registration! For further inquiries, contact Hannah at 09228980196, or call 632-6310658 or 6310660 for more details.)