The saying goes, “It’s better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.”
Too simple.
There are certain things I will ask for permission to do; I know my boss and I understand risk. I don’t need to ask for permission often, because I am aligned. I don’t make decisions where I expect I will have to apologize later. I make calculated, right and just decisions. Sometimes they’re wrong.
I never beg for forgiveness. You shouldn’t either.
If you take an action or make a decision, it should be for the right reasons. You should believe it’s the right action to take based on the environment. When you make decisions and actions because you believe they are right, there is no need to beg for forgiveness.
Was it a bad decision or did the circumstances change where you ended up in the wrong direction? Sure, those things happen. My favorite public affairs saying: “Mistakes were made.”
Instead of begging for forgiveness, my responses look like this:
- “Here’s why I did this…”
- “Got it. Won’t do that again.”
- “I thought through it and it was the right decision at the time, but…”
- “No excuse boss, I’ve learned, we’ve learned.”
You either screwed up or you didn’t, but forgiveness is in the past. Let’s talk about something important.
Photo by Sgt. Steven Lopez
