I’ve heard from colleagues and I have experience it myself; there is a lack of apologies for mistakes because people are ashamed to admit they are wrong.
Have you ever had an employee or coworker just walk off the job because they have neglected responsibility? Have you had an employee make a mistake or let you down and rather than say they are sorry, they have quit or completely fallen off the face of the earth in shame?
I’ve had this happen to me a few times in my career, as have my colleagues. What employees need to learn is that is ok to make mistakes, and that an apology and an act of contrition can be much more forgiving then one might think. Personally, I find it far worse for someone to just disappear off an assignment then to say “I screwed up”.
For those of you early in your career who want to be taken seriously, be willing to make mistakes and apologize for them. Also, be willing to tell people AHEAD of time when you know an upcoming event or situation may possibly affect your work; your employer will be more forgiving then you believe.
