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May 22, 2013
"It is wise to direct your anger towards problems -- not people; to focus your energies on answers -- not excuses" --William Arthur Ward
What To Do When You've Angered Someone
"I was running late. My wife Eleanor and I had agreed to meet at the restaurant at seven o'clock and it was already half past. I had a good excuse in the form of a client meeting that ran over and I wasted no time getting to the dinner as fast as possible. When I arrived at the restaurant, I apologized and told her I didn't mean to be late. She answered: "You never mean to be late." Uh oh, she was mad. "Sorry," I retorted, "but it was unavoidable." I told her about the client meeting. Not only did my explanations not soothe her, they seemed to make things worse. That started to make me angry. That dinner didn't turn out to be our best." An author and management consultant explores the dynamics of this not uncommon experience and arrives at some profound insights on how to respond when you've hurt or angered someone you care about.
BE THE CHANGE
The next time you inadvertently anger or annoy someone, try to step back from excuse-making and seek to acknowledge the root problem.
