Trust me, this key detail alone will work wonders in making it clear that you’re simply trying to provide added context for everyone, rather than attempting to point fingers or play the blame game. Even something like, “I’m sorry that I’m a day late in submitting this report” before providing the added background information demonstrates that you accept responsibility for your role in the situation-even if there were other factors contributing to your tardiness. This doesn’t need to be anything complex. Like it or not, that warrants an apology. Things didn’t go according to plan, and you weren’t able to deliver what was expected of you-for whatever reason. But, regardless of what exactly happened to get you to this point, the moral of the story still remains the same: You came up short on your end of the deal. I get it- saying that you’re sorry seems counterintuitive. “Wait, what?” you’re likely thinking to yourself now, with a repulsed look on your face, “Apologize? I thought we already determined that this wasn’t my fault!” So, do your best to stop them from flying out of your mouth and instead jump right in with the need-to-know, nitty-gritty information that’s relevant and important to the other people involved. Prefacing your explanation with things like, “I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses, but…” or even a seemingly innocent, “Just so you know…” ultimately send the wrong message. That means staying far, far away from qualifiers. Now what? Before diving in with the details of what exactly happened, you’re going to want to pay close attention to how you kick start your spiel. This information is important, and you think your boss or your team needs to be looped in on it. If you can’t pinpoint one solid reason why one is warranted, then you’re usually better off keeping your lips zipped altogether.Īlright, so you’ve decided that you absolutely need to chime in with some added clarification about what exactly caused you to come up short.
If you’re falling into that latter camp, then it’s not really an explanation you’re looking to provide-you’re still only trying to avoid responsibility.
#Not my logo dont fine me how to
So, is there a way you can walk the dangerously fine line between explanation and excuse? Turns out, there is! Here’s how you can provide that needed background information you’re so eager to share-without any of those classic, “The dog ate my homework!” connotations.īefore we get into exactly how to navigate these murky waters, you need to take a good, hard, and honest look at yourself to determine if an explanation is really necessary-or, if you’re only trying to sugarcoat a good old-fashioned excuse.Īsk yourself this: What impact does sharing this have on the final outcome? Will failing to voice that information result in your team moving forward incorrectly on a project? Or, will speaking up just serve to shift the spotlight away from your shortcoming and make you feel indemnified? Sound familiar? We’ve all spit out excuses in the attempt to save face and shift blame, even if we know better.īut, every now and then, you run across those situations when you feel like added clarification is absolutely justifiable-however, you’d like to provide that necessary context in a way that doesn’t make it sound like you’re offering a flat-out alibi. Whatever happened, it absolutely wasn’t your doing that caused this misstep. Or, something weird happened with your calendar app and all of your dates got mixed up. Nope, those good-for-nothing folks in the marketing department were late in getting you the information you desperately needed. But, here’s the thing you want everybody to know: It absolutely wasn’t all your fault.