Five Tips to Help Us Apologize Better

2. Own It. 
Don’t hide from it. Don’t shove it under the rug. It’s really easy to brush off our mistakes. When we reflect on something and realize we were less than our best, it’s easy to say, “I’ll do better next time” or “Maybe they didn’t notice.” You don’t necessarily have to grovel or berate yourself as a human, and it doesn’t devalue your worth, but if you’ve made a mistake, own it and apologize for it.
 
3. Look For a Pattern.
My mom taught me that “I’m sorry” means “I’ll never do that again.” I personally am uncomfortable with words like “always” and “never.” I’m hard-pressed to even come up with “most of the time” or “usually.” But when I apologize, I do want to say, “I feel bad enough about this that I will do my very best not to let it happen again.”
 
4. Don't Wait.
In some circumstances, it could be days, weeks, or even months until we have the opportunity to see the person again. And so many times, when we’ve made a mistake, we wait until just the right moment. The truth is, an uncomfortable conversation will never feel comfortable.
 
5. GOMO.
A colleague and friend of mine shared this acronym, GOMO, a number of years ago based on some work that she was doing with a colleague of hers, and the idea has stuck with me ever since. GOMO - Get Over it, Move On. When we make a mistake, it is important we accept accountability, we apologize, and we make it right as quickly as possible. We don’t need to remind ourselves of it, and we don’t need to remind others of it. Get over it once the apology has been made, and put it behind you. Move on to even better.