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The three most difficult words
THE advent of the 21st Century witnessed an explosion of electronic information, which in turn led to an unprecedented spike in transparency, both in the public and private domain. But, has this openness resulted in greater accountability? I am afraid not. Here are some brazen examples where senior public officials and leaders have refused to be held accountable: Recently the Human Rights Watch expressed deep concern that the
increase in suspicious extra judicial killings in Bangladesh by security forces was plunging the country toward a crisis. The State Minister for Home flatly denied the charges and declared:" I do not even believe any such killings have taken place in recent times...."
In 2013, more than a thousand Bangladeshi garment workers were crushed under the debris of a garment factory that collapsed. Rather than admit that inadequate safety standards were responsible for the loss of workers' lives, garment owners and their organization the BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Owners and Exporters Association) tried to deflect the issue by accusing the media of sensationalizing the tragic accident. There were also loud cries of a "conspiracy" to defame the country and damage the export trade.
Former United States President George W. Bush and his senior officials flatly denied the extra-judicial torture of prisoners at Guantanamo and other unidentified bases outside the country. We now know that harsh and unethical methods of interrogation were, in fact, used to gather information from prisoners.
There is also the ongoing controversy surrounding Edward Snowden's revelations of widespread wire tapping and spying on world leaders by the United States. The Obama Administration has dismissed the allegations as "exaggerated" reports by a disgruntled insider. In fact, the entire debate was redirected to painting Snowden as unpatriotic.
The above examples illustrate an important behavioral pattern predominant among leaders and people in positions of power. They display a tendency to shirk responsibility and play the blame game. Unfortunately, this attitude is noticeable among most people, whether it is in their business dealings or in regular social discourse.
The problem seems to stem from the deeply entrenched belief that admitting one's mistakes is a sign of failure or at best a weakness. In reality this is a misplaced belief because we know that secure and honest people never offer lame excuses - they admit their mistakes readily. They understand correctly that apologizing can be incredibly beneficial and empowering, since it can result in deeper emotional closeness and trust toward the other person.
The benefits of acknowledging one's errors and initiating remedial actions are especially important for leaders. In an article, entitled "Creative Leadership: Humility and Being Wrong", published in Forbes (June 2012), Doug Guthrie and Sudhir Venkatesh make an interesting case for the positive power of admitting one's mistakes: "It is not only good to admit you are wrong when you are; but also it can also be a powerful tool for leaders—actually increasing legitimacy and, when practiced regularly, can help to build a culture that actually increases solidarity, innovation, openness to change and many other positive features of organizational life." When leaders fail to apologize for their blunders, the lack of authenticity generates an atmosphere of mistrust and jeopardizes the authority and credibility of the organization.
To elaborate the point let us revert to George Bush. History will remember him as the US President who initiated a war under a false pretext and did not assume responsibility for his actions. The world still holds him accountable for causing countless deaths and global instability. His disingenuousness and refusal to admit that his decision to go to war was based on false intelligence have greatly damaged the credibility of the United States.
The fact is that most of us respect and admire people who take responsibility for their actions. Alternatively, we develop an instinctive mistrust for those who deflect responsibility with astonishing finesse. So one may ask, why is it that most people are reluctant to apologize? I suppose it's because apologizing needs enormous courage and confidence. Actually, it requires overriding our ego that supposedly protects our fragile sense of self worth.
One may argue that in an era where self-aggrandizement is perceived as a pre-requisite for success, making a case for humility may seem somewhat pass^. But most effective leaders are humble enough to acknowledge their mistakes and accept new inputs and ideas to change the status quo. At a personal level saying "I am sorry" can be therapeutic since it allows us to let others know that we care about them and want to make amends. And at the end of the day "making things right is more important than being right."
As for me --1 have been sorrier for all the missed opportunities when I neglected to say "I am sorry", than when I said "I am sorry”!
The writer Is a renowned Rabindra Sangeet exponent and a former employee of the World Bank.