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Ahhh…. apologies…an ongoing challenge in any relationship….mistakes are made, feelings are hurt, complications result… How can we learn to offer sincere, effective apologies? What kinds of apologies do we wish we would receive from others?
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How to offer sincere and effective apologies??? What specific steps might we take to create that apology? How can we remember those important steps when we “need” them? How can we repair the damage we may have done?
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Oddly enough, there was a full page “letter of apology” in the newspaper today… an apology that actually contained many helpful steps in offering apologies to others….a letter from the CEO of Target to the impacted Target customers from the credit card information hacking.
Link to full text of letter: Target CEO letter of apology
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Looking at some excerpts from that letter… excerpts that contain steps that could be helpful components to any apology…in any of our own relationships…components we might wish we would receive in apologies from others…and that we might learn to use to get better at offering sincere apologies to others…
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A few key phrases…
words that seem to resonate,
words or ideas that might be helpful in our everyday lives,
in any apology or resolution of “conflicts”
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A few specific “components” of potentially effective apologies…
wishing to receive… learning to offer
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Some possible steps …
wishing to receive…
learning to use…
learning to offer more sincere and effective apologies in our relationships
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Disclaimer from Kathy: I’m not very good at letting go of my “position” and making apologies… and hence I’m creating these pages for possible reminders… for myself…or anyone else who might be plugging away at developing and nurturing this “skill”… And, of course, like everyone else, I’d love to receive these kinds of apologies, too…. Ahhhh…. apologies…. wishing us all well…
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Pocket Perspectives 
Reblogged this on Mind Chatter and commented:
Very good advice to us all. Thanks to Target, it appears they actually hire some people with an education.
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The format of his apology was positive… I learned a lot from how he phrased that.
I hope they have, or can find, people capable enough to figure out the hugely complex IT problems that happened.
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Good advice for sure. Better than the short meaningless whinny I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
PS. Last Summer there were many checkers with BA’s at my local Target!
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I agree….he took positive steps in that letter.
I hope they’re able to figure the problem out soon. The world has become a very complex place, particularly with huge, sophisticated technology systems and it’s complications!
There are so many bright, personable people in so many jobs..including the checkers at Target!
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This really hits home. Many times it is just as hard to accept an apology as to make one.
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I agree… I wonder if apologies that contain more of those different components above…if that kind of apology might be more “easily” accepted? …. perhaps, a “learn-able skill” ???? … learning more about some
“specifics” of how to offer and accept apologies seems so important to nurturing positive, respectful, kind, loving relationships…
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