Americans love to hear you say you’re “sorry”
In America, it’s a slow news day if someone is not publicly apologizing for something - an inappropriate remark, an extra-marital affair, an accidental arms shipment to a foreign country.
In the American culture, someone has to apologize for a mistake before we can all move on (or at least focus on our next scandal). In or out of the public eye, no one gets off the hook without first acknowledging their mistakes.
Our friend Asmita learned this cultural lesson in her own business too late - and it cost her. Asmita runs a hotel in Fiji, where a traveling American businessman was a frequent guest. The guest recently tried to bring Asmita’s attention to an error on his bill, but Asmita refused to look it over, insisting that she never made mistakes (Asmita had always been reluctant to admit failure. She saw it as a sign of weakness).
Only after she had already sent her guest packing, Asmita realized - she had undercharged the guest for only one week’s stay rather than two. The guest had been trying to call attention to an error in his own favor!
At least one hotel patron won’t be coming back, but Asmita has learned a valuable cultural lesson. She has learned from the experience to battle her own instincts and own up to her mistakes, knowing she will avoid more significant battles with other people in the long run. And she has learned not to be insulted by critiques of her work - especially coming from Americans, who often have a different mindset.
So the next time a concern is raised with your own work, agree to look into it. You’ll be viewed in a much more positive light if you do. Never mind who’s at fault: in corporate America, it’s accountability, not perfection, that matters. If only someone would tell that to the people making headlines.
