You’ve found out a colleague has complained about a comment you made at staff meeting about a conference that colleague had attended. You’re over budget on a project due to an oversight on your part and have to brief your director. You missed a key planning meeting. All of us drop the ball from time to time. Seeing your way past the mistake may take a new perspective, some careful planning and even practice in a safe environment. The Ombuds Office can provide that perspective, plan and practice. This page will provide some ideas to clear the roadblocks and get started back on the path.
Articles and Practice Scenarios
- Apologizing well seems pretty straightforward-- until you are in the middle of recovering from a misstep and are feeling the stress and strain. To practice the elements of a good apology before the crisis happens, go to this website: Interactive Apology Practice.
- For a quick summary of the steps to a good apology, go to this link: Apologizing Well Checklist.
- Are you inadvertently undermining co-workers or doing things that might be perceived as gaslighting? To find out, take the following anonymous quiz hosted on an external website: "Am I Undermining My Coworkers?" (See "Overcoming Gaslighting in a Higher Education Setting" for more info on gaslighting.)