Learning from a small accident
Have you noticed? I am sure you have. When there is a minor accident involving two cycles or bikes, even if there is no injury to either of them or any damage to the vehicle, one of the two involved would proactively say sorry even if he is not at fault. Surprised? you are right, a person saying sorry is rare as we normally come across one of them raising his voice and screaming at the other even if the former is at fault. And, most of the time, the person who raises his voice first gets away with the problem and at times turns the situation to his advantage too.
If we look at this from a different lens and pick up the positive aspect from this approach, it can help us deal with any relationship proactively and progressively. It could be at work between a subordinate and his boss/manager or between the service provider and the customer and in multiple cases, in our personal relationship management too.
We all make mistakes and these mistakes could be related to delays, lapses, material data errors, inadequate delivery, poor or absence of any communication, quality deficiency against what is expected. Just like the person who opts to raise his voice first when an accident happens, when we are at fault, if we proactively give heads-up (no screaming in any case) to the concerned, be it our customer, our manager or superior or to anyone we are accountable to or anyone we ought to maintain a good relationship in our personal lives, half of the problem if not more is already resolved. It denotes our transparency, our integrity, our good intent, respect for others and above all our courage to face the situation. Avoid such accidents, but when you face such a situation, ensure you are the one to proactively communicate. Your silence here will be reprimanded and the repercussions could be irreversible if the affected person believes that he or she has been taken for granted.
Next time you happen to see a minor accident on the road, watch out for the person who speaks or screams or says sorry first.
Lessons are all around us and some could be accidental learning too
