By Sammi Caramela, B2B Staff Writer
No one perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. If you admit to your faults and express your remorse, you might expect to be forgiven. However, managers are rarely believed to be sorry.
The research found that when powerful figures apologize, it comes across as disingenuous. According to leadership coach Jack Skeen, co-author of “The Circle Blueprint” (Wiley, 2017), employees think bosses only apologize to avoid conflict. This belief can be detrimental to your team. It’s crucial for workers to be on the same page as managers, and even the smallest disconnect can cause tension and lead to poor results. Want to ensure your employees trust your sincerity? Here are three tips to persuade your team that you really are sorry.
1. Develop strong company culture.
If you show your workers that you’re interested in more than just their work and how it benefits the company, they’ll begin to trust you.
Talk to your team about topics other than work, and find ways to reverse the roles. So you can cater to them for a change. This can be as simple as brewing coffee for your team or bringing bagels to work.
“If we can see our staff members as human beings and, most importantly, make them realize that we view them as worthy, unique and inherently valuable individuals, they won’t struggle to believe we are sincere when we apologize,” Skeen said.
Anyone can be a boss, but not everyone can be a leader. Be considerate of your entire team, and they won’t doubt your emotions for a second. Continue reading →