As a Canadian I already know all of this. Seriously though, I find myself apologizing profusely all of the time in ordinary conversation. Ordinarily I would think that it's a habit I need to curb, but the sorries are all genuine!
Sorry
Saying Sorry When Things Go Wrong [pdf]
61–67 of 67 posts
Re: Saying Sorry When Things Go Wrong [pdf]
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is saying "I'm sorry" an admission of guilt somehow? Genuinely interested.
I read somewhere that in Canada they passed a law that saying sorry in case of car accident does not mean you are at fault for that accident. Edit: found in this same thread at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14749389
Similar in UK. Insurers tell you never to say sorry for a car accident.
Re: Saying Sorry When Things Go Wrong [pdf]
#63I disagree. I was in hospital around the time some bad stuff happened. My doctor was busy saying sorry, and neglected his other patiens.
Re: Saying Sorry When Things Go Wrong [pdf]
#64Saying sorry is: always the right thing to do not an admission of liability acknowledges that something could have gone better the first step to learning from what happened and preventing it recurring This is very, very wobbly advice if you're dealing with a difficult client. I have had a number of situations where my natural English politeness has led to my offering apologies for situations that are 50% or less my o…
It's fitting that the document has been issued by the NHS. In the UK it's used so much that it doesn't mean anything anymore. It's just a way to get away with bad behaviour or incompetence. One fun example is https://www.sorryfortheinconvenience.co.uk/tfl
Re: Saying Sorry When Things Go Wrong [pdf]
#65Saying sorry has always been meaningless tokenism to me. We are what we do, and not what we say.
However -
An apology does indicate that the person saying sorry is able to admit to mistakes. This in turn shows an ability to learn, to try new things, and an open mind. At least more so than one who refuses to apologise under any circumstance.
Re: Saying Sorry When Things Go Wrong [pdf]
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
I read somewhere that in Canada they passed a law that saying sorry in case of car accident does not mean you are at fault for that accident. Edit: found in this same thread at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14749389
Similar in UK. Insurers tell you never to say sorry for a car accident.
Opposite in Canada, you "can" say sorry, and it can not be used as admission of guilt or fault.
Re: Saying Sorry When Things Go Wrong [pdf]
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
Similarly "I need help" and "How can I help?" are powerful things.
I still have trouble with "I need help". I can work out what I need to do, but I have trouble doling out work in a way which means that it gets done to the specification I have got in my head, so I am not sure how to accept the offers of help. I think I need help writing specifications for my fellow developers.
That would be the trick in delegation. Giving others the authority to get things done.
I don't know the specifics of what your dealing with but it might be defining a common starting place like an API contract with some architectural/non-functional requirements on the implementation or more recurring things like coding style guides or other documentation.