One of the most important things for people to learn is how to apologise.  It is amazing how many people cannot find it within themselves to ever apologise, and they allow their egos to get in the way.  

I think I learnt to apologise largely because I don’t remember my mother ever apologising.  She has always told me that she is the first to apologise if she has done something wrong, but as luck would have it, she never does anything wrong!  Sometimes you learn from what others don’t do, or do, such as if your parents smoke, and try not to repeat those mistakes.  In fact, in that regard, I have always said I will not make the mistakes my mother made in bringing me up, and I will just make new mistakes.  In other words, probably all the things she got right I will get wrong but rest assured, like all parents, my children will believe that there are all sorts of things I have done wrong in bringing them up, by the time they are older, and I am sure in some respects they will be right.  

I do hope, when I am older, that I am not silly or stubborn enough to get into a fight with my children.  I think that children are sent to us from God and that does not mean they are perfect, but I will not spend my life telling my children that I am either disappointed in them, shocked or horrified, etc and giving them unnecessary grief all the time.  

I have always noted within my own offices as well that there are those that are able to apologise easily when they should and there are those who are very stubborn and, sometimes I guess, simply believe they never do anything wrong, and just cannot apologise.  I think it is a tremendous weakness and a failing that affects careers and one’s advancement.  As a boss, I don’t always apologise when I should, maybe because the relationship is somewhat different, but I certainly have given some apologies over the years.