The best apology is changed behavior

The best apology is changed behavior

In a recent podcast episode from Adam Grant titled “The internet doesn’t need your opinion“, he had a fantastic conversation with writer and activist Rebecca Solnit. The full crux of the podcast was excellent, focused on the idea of facts and conversations versus simply shouting your opinion, but it was a small side conversation that got my attention.

They got into a conversation about apologies, where a simple quote from J.S. Felts was shared:

“The only true apology is changed behavior”

We’ve all seen this. Someone does something wrong, apologizes, and then does it again. The apology may or may not have been sincere, but it certainly wasn’t meaningful. We all make mistakes, as do the people around us, and a mistake is a perfect reason to change your behavior going forward. If you don’t, was it really even an apology?