Apologize. Take ownership. Even for small mistakes. Especially for big mistakes.

It doesn’t make you look bad to say “I fucked up.” It *does* make you look bad to not realize you fucked up. There’s nothing more refreshing than someone saying “I totally messed that up, I’m sorry.” I can’t even be mad about the underlying thing anymore.

When you mess up and your instinct is to get defensive, double down, think of all the ways this was someone *else’s* fault, slow down. Go with the exact opposite instinct.

When someone messes something up and takes full ownership, it often leaves me with a better impression of them than I had even before the mistake! I see that they get it, they care.