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A Man Apologized Badly, Then Apologized Better, and Kept a Friendship

Joseph Bonner

Sep 3

1 min read

The story

People lose each other over pride more often than over the original harm. He almost did.

The first apology explained too much. The second named the impact and asked what would help.

What happened next

They walked again on Sundays. Heart rate data would not show it. Longevity might.

A lesson you can use this week

Send the shorter apology. Do the requested change once in public view.

Sources

Research on apology effectiveness summarized by the American Psychological Association; Harriet Lerner’s widely cited work on apology versus defensiveness.

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The story

What happened next

A lesson you can use this week

Sources

Comments

Why I Keep a Simple Weekly Review

Why I Still Make Important Calls Instead of Sending Another Email

Why I Still Handwrite the First Draft of Big Ideas

Why I Finish What I Start, Even After the Excitement Fades

What Studio Silence Taught Me About Listening

What Collaboration Taught Me About Trust

Why I Write Everything Down

What Producing Taught Me About Patience

Why I Ask Better Questions Instead of Giving Quick Answers

Why I Protect the First Hour of My Day

How I Say No Without Burning Bridges

The Follow Up Is Where the Real Work Happens

Why I Keep a Running Ideas File (and How It Saves My Best Work)

How I Plan a Week of Content Without Losing My Mind

Why I Start Every Project With a One Page Brief

How I Prepare for a Media Interview

How to Tell a Story People Remember

How to Follow the News Without Burning Out: A Practical Media Diet

Why I Keep a Simple Weekly Review

Why I Still Make Important Calls Instead of Sending Another Email

Why I Still Handwrite the First Draft of Big Ideas

Why I Finish What I Start, Even After the Excitement Fades

What Studio Silence Taught Me About Listening

What Collaboration Taught Me About Trust

Why I Write Everything Down

What Producing Taught Me About Patience

Why I Ask Better Questions Instead of Giving Quick Answers

Why I Protect the First Hour of My Day

How I Say No Without Burning Bridges

The Follow Up Is Where the Real Work Happens

Why I Keep a Running Ideas File (and How It Saves My Best Work)

How I Plan a Week of Content Without Losing My Mind

Why I Start Every Project With a One Page Brief

How I Prepare for a Media Interview

How to Tell a Story People Remember

How to Follow the News Without Burning Out: A Practical Media Diet

A 15-year-old lost a hand. France is still tear-gassing high-school students.

Quiet Atlantic Hurricane Season Breaks a 112-Year Mark

Taylor Swift Marks Kelce Touchdown From Chiefs Sideline Crowd

Hurricane Polo Hits Category 5 in the Eastern Pacific

Trump Uses U.N. Speech to Defend Iran Policy

White House Targets 760,000 ACA Listings as Fraud Review Begins

White House Helipad Ceremony Goes Unseen on Major U.S. Networks

Washington Floats AI Crisis Hotline With Beijing

College Sports Bill Returns to the Senate Floor

Paramount-Warner Path Clears After State Lawsuit Settlements

Hormuz Tanker Strike Adds Fresh Risk Premium to Oil

Arctic Defense Pact Signed by U.S., Denmark and Greenland

Studios Recast Calendars After Merger Lawsuit Settlements

Simone Biles Describes Chicago Break-In and Stolen Porsche

Typhoon Dujuan Causes Fatal Landslides Across Japan

Mark Ruffalo Asks California to Keep Fighting Studio Merger

Selena Gomez Closes $5.4 Million Los Angeles Home Sale

The Unbreakable Leadership Summit Celebrates World-Class Visionaries Ahead of the Philanthropy Awards in Los Angeles

Five Dead After Cargo Jet Overruns Miami Runway

New Season Premiere: The Joseph Bonner Show Is Live on JBN Radio and JBN TV

Singapore: A Hawker-Centre Regular Paid for the Table Behind Him and Did Not Turn Around

Malaysia: A Kuala Lumpur Grab Driver Waited Through a Clinic Visit Without Running the Meter in Panic

Peru: A Lima Market Porter Carried a Stranger’s Bags to the Combi and Would Not Haggle the Last Coin

Brazil: A São Paulo Motoboy Turned Around for a Dropped Prescription

Chile: A Santiago Metro Car Gave a Pregnant Rider Air Before Anyone Gave Advice

Colombia: Yadira Perdomo Practiced Standing After a Fall Took Her Legs at Sixteen

Thailand: A Bangkok Skytrain Rider Gave Up the Last Seat and Then Gave Directions Sitting on the Floor

Argentina: A Buenos Aires Plaza Group Kept an Extra Chair for the Man Who Always Came Late From Treatment

From Fifty States to Far Streets, the Work Is Still the Next Kind Thing

Vietnam: A Hanoi Shop Neighbor Carried Water Up Four Flights During a Fever

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