Although it’s good to say sorry sometimes, and it might even be deemed completely essential at some points in your life, saying sorry is something that can be done too much. The word ‘sorry’ will quickly lose all meaning if you say it out of habit at times when, in all honesty, an apology is not required.
At work, and perhaps more specifically when you run your own business, this is an even more important point to remember. Saying sorry only works when you mean it and when it’s necessary, otherwise you might be leading yourself into complications that you don’t want to have. Read on to find out why it’s sometimes a bad idea to say sorry (even if it’s in your nature to do so).
When You Don’t Mean It
Do you always mean it when you say you’re sorry? Although sometimes we will be genuinely apologetic and the sorry we’re saying is something, because the word just comes out automatically in many cases, we might not necessarily mean what we say. Sometimes we can even say sorry in the hopes that it will make a problem go away or at least become a smaller issue.
The problem is, if you don’t really mean what you say, it might be noticed, and whoever you are apologising to will know that you’re just paying lip service to their issue or complaint. And eventually, even if your apology is sincere, people won’t believe you.
Make sure you really mean it when you say sorry, and if you’re not genuinely sorry for what happened, look into why this is. It might be important to know.
When You’ve Done Nothing Wrong
If someone says they’ve been hurt by you or that something was your fault, you’ll often say sorry even if you know, deep down, that you did nothing wrong. Someone else thinks you did, so by saying sorry you’re making them feel better, even if you’ve nothing to say sorry for.
If you find you’re often apologising for something someone else has done just to appear to be more polite or caring, or out of habit without even thinking about the situation at all, you need to make a concerted effort to stop. By apologising when it’s not required and even apologising when you’re the one who has been hurt or put at a disadvantage, you are putting yourself in a weaker position. That could mean negotiations fail, or you have trouble claiming compensation after hiring expert personal injury lawyers, or you lose out in business in some way.
Rather than automatically apologising, think about the situation carefully. Apologise if it is warranted, but otherwise don’t let the word sorry pass your lips.
When It Will Bring Attention To A Problem
Business can be hard, and it’s certainly very demanding. We all want to do our best and make a good impression on everyone who might want to buy from us or work with us in some way. So why, when we are trying to do this, do we so often sabotage ourselves and our work by apologising for something that wasn’t an issue and that now has plenty of attention drawn to it?
Take a presentation, for example. It’s something you’ve worked very hard on, and it looks good. It has all the key information included in it, and you’ve practised the words you’re going to say. You’re ready. But you’re nervous, and you decide to pre-empt any problems with an apology. You tell everyone in the room, important people whom you need to impress, that you had this issue or that, or that you didn’t have a lot of time, or that some of the slides might not be correct. You hope that everyone will understand.
In essence, you’re apologising for something that would probably not have been noticed if you hadn’t mentioned it. You’re also showing your colleagues or clients that you’re not as confident in your work as they would want you to be.
When You Need Help
Sometimes you are going to need help. No one is perfect, and no one knows everything right from the start. Plus, anything can happen, and a good situation can become a bad one quickly (and vice versa) which means help is sometimes going to be important – the more we can help one another, the better life – and business – can be.
Asking for help can certainly be difficult; pride and fear can cause us to have problems in this regard. Despite this, it’s important not to apologise when you need help. If you need it, you need it, and there is nothing to be sorry for.