Apologizing
Not applicable
Executive
How to apologize at work without over-apologizing
You made a visible mistake and need to own it without collapsing your credibility.
Strategy
Name it, own it, state the fix, move on. One apology, no groveling. Over-apologizing shifts the burden to the other person to reassure you.
The numbers in yesterday's board deck were wrong. That was mine. I pulled from the pre-close file instead of the final. The corrected deck went out this morning with the delta flagged on slide four. Going forward, nothing leaves my desk for the board without Finance signing the source file. That is the change.
If they push back
If they stay angry: "That reaction is fair. I am not going to talk you out of it. What I can do is make sure the control is in place before the next one."
What not to say
- I am so so sorry, I feel terrible
- It was kind of a team mistake
- In my defense
- This never usually happens
Follow-up
Corrected deck attached, changes highlighted. Finance sign-off is now a required step in the board prep checklist.