What distinguishes a sincere apology from the rest?

Physician
May 23, 2014

Every time you turn around, it seems there’s another CEO apologizing. But, when do apologies work? When does an apology help everyone learn, improve, and move on? What distinguished sincere apologies from the rest? I think it takes three ingredients:

  • Compassion: The words and the tone convey sincere empathy.
  • Coherence: The parts of the apology add up to a meaningful, informative statement and are not internally contradictory or self-cancelling.
  • Credibility: The apology is …

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What distinguishes a sincere apology from the rest?

Doctors need to stop working 24/7

Policy
February 26, 2014

8:00am Sunday: You glance over and notice an email from your boss while you’re eating breakfast and reading the paper. Ok, you think, I’ll respond later, maybe after my run.

8:10am: Ping! A text arrives. “I have a question about the project.” Ok, you think, it’s Sunday, but sure, I’ll get back to him after breakfast.

8:20am: The phone rings. It’s him. “I’ll need that slide for tomorrow’s presentation. How soon can you get it to …

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Doctors need to stop working 24/7

What leaders can learn from the failure of Healthcare.gov

Policy
December 9, 2013

It’s lonely at the top. The buck stops here. I take full responsibility.

Noble sentiments. But the idea that one person, at the top, or elsewhere in an organization, is solely to blame for a complex failure in novel territory is as unhelpful as it is limited. In fact, the blame game is less useful today than ever before. Consider Healthcare.gov.

The idea that a project as complex, new, and large as the Healthcare.gov website …

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What leaders can learn from the failure of Healthcare.gov