When Should a Leader Apologize and When Not?

Why Difficult?

When we wrong someone we know, even not intentionally, we are generally expected to apologize so as to improve the situation. But when we’re acting as leaders, the circumstances are different. The act of apology is carried out not merely at the level of the individual but also at the level of the institution. It is a performance in which every expression matters and every word becomes part of the public record. Refusing to apologize can be smart, or it can be stupid. So, readiness to apologize can be seen as a sign of strong character or as a sign of weakness. A successful apology can turn hate into personal and organizational harmony—while an apology that is too little, too late, or too obviously strategic can bring on individual and institutional ruin. What, then, is to be done? How can leaders decide if and when to apologize publicly?

Why Now?

The question of whether leaders should apologize publicly has never been more urgent. During the last decade or so, the United States in particular has developed an apology culture—apologies of all kinds and for all sorts of wrongdoings are made far more frequently than before. More newspaper writers have written about the growing importance of public apologies. More articles, cartoons, advice columns, and radio and television programs have similarly dealt with the subject of private apologies.

Why Bother?

Why do we apologize? Why do we ever put ourselves in situations likely to be difficult, embarrassing, and even risky? Leaders who apologize publicly could be an easy target. They are expected to appear strong and capable. And whenever they make public statements of any kind, their individual and institutional reputations are in danger. Clearly, then, leaders should not apologize often or lightly. For a leader to express apology, there needs to be a good, strong reason. Leaders will publicly apologize if and when they think the costs of doing so are lower than the costs of not doing so.

Why Refuse?

Why is it that leaders so often refuse to apologize, even when a public apology seems to be in order? Their reasons can be individual or institutional. Because leaders are public figures, their apologies are likely to be personally uncomfortable and even professionally risky. Leaders may also be afraid that admission of a mistake will damage or destroy the organization for which they are responsible. There can be good reasons for hanging tough in tough situations, as we shall see, but it is a high-risk strategy.

When Should a Leader Apologize and When Not?
Why Difficult?
When we wrong someone we know, even not intentionally, we are generally expected to apologize so as to improve the situation. But when we’re acting as leaders, the circumstances are different. The act of apology is carried out not merely at the level of the individual but also at the level of the institution. It is a performance in which every expression matters and every word becomes part of the public record. Refusing to apologize can be smart, or it can be stupid. So, readiness to apologize can be seen as a sign of strong character or as a sign of weakness. A successful apology can turn hate into personal and organizational harmony—while an apology that is too little, too late, or too obviously strategic can bring on individual and institutional ruin. What, then, is to be done? How can leaders decide if and when to apologize publicly?
Why Now?
The question of whether leaders should apologize publicly has never been more urgent. During the last decade or so, the United States in particular has developed an apology culture—apologies of all kinds and for all sorts of wrongdoings are made far more frequently than before. More newspaper writers have written about the growing importance of public apologies. More articles, cartoons, advice columns, and radio and television programs have similarly dealt with the subject of private apologies.
Why Bother?
Why do we apologize? Why do we ever put ourselves in situations likely to be difficult, embarrassing, and even risky? Leaders who apologize publicly could be an easy target. They are expected to appear strong and capable. And whenever they make public statements of any kind, their individual and institutional reputations are in danger. Clearly, then, leaders should not apologize often or lightly. For a leader to express apology, there needs to be a good, strong reason. Leaders will publicly apologize if and when they think the costs of doing so are lower than the costs of not doing so.
Why Refuse?
Why is it that leaders so often refuse to apologize, even when a public apology seems to be in order? Their reasons can be individual or institutional. Because leaders are public figures, their apologies are likely to be personally uncomfortable and even professionally risky. Leaders may also be afraid that admission of a mistake will damage or destroy the organization for which they are responsible. There can be good reasons for hanging tough in tough situations, as we shall see, but it is a high-risk strategy.

As we know, unemployment, not to mention taxes, ________ votes.

1. A.
   influenced
2. B.
   influencing
3. C.
   influence
4. D.
   influences

Adventure Vacations
People like different kinds of vacations. Some go camping. They swim, fish, cook over a fire and sleep outside. Others like to stay at a hotel in an exciting city. They go shopping all day and go dancing all night. Or maybe they go sightseeing to places such as Disneyland, the Tai Mahan or the Louver.
Some people are bored with sightseeing trips. They don’t want to be “tourists”. They want to have an adventure--a surprising and exciting trip. They want to learn something and maybe help people too. How can they do this? Some travel companies and environmental groups are planning special adventures. Sometimes these trips are difficult and full of hardships, but they’re a lot of fun. One organization, Earth watch, sends small groups of volunteers to different parts of the world. Some volunteers spend two weeks and study the environment. Others work with animals. Others learn about people of the past.
Would you like an adventure in the Far North? A team of volunteers is leaving from Mormons, Russia. The leader of this trip is a professor from Alaska. He’s worried about chemicals from factories. He and the volunteers will study this pollution in the environment. If you like exercise and cold weather, this is a good trip for you. Volunteers need ski sixteen kilometers every day.
Do you enjoy ocean animals? You can spend two to four weeks in Hawaii. There, you can teach language to dolphins. Dolphins can follow orders such as “Bring me the large ball.” They also understand opposites. How much more can they understand? It will be exciting to learn about these intelligent animals. Another study trip goes to Washington State and follows orcas. We call orcas “killer Whale”, but they’re really dolphins—the largest kind of dolphin. This beautiful animal travels together in family groups. They move through the ocean with their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers. Ocean pollution is chasing their lives. Earth watch is studying how this happens.
Are you interested in history? Then Greece is the place for your adventure. Thirty-five hundred years ago a volcano exploded there, on Santorum. This explosion was more terrible than Karate or Mount Saint Helens. But today we know a lot about the way of life of the people from that time. There are houses, kitchens, and paintings as interesting as those in Pompeii. Today teams of volunteers are learning more about people from the past.
Do you want a very different vacation? Do you want to travel far, work hard and learn a lot? Then an Earth watch vacation is for you.
【小题1】The Tai Mahan may be _______.