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Admit When You’re Wrong

Admitting to a mistake is probably the last thing you want to do in front of an office foe, but if you accuse someone of spreading a vicious rumor and the accusation later turns out to be false, you owe that person an apology. You may be tempted to resist the notion because you believe your colleague is incapable of the same consideration toward you. If you play by your nemesis’s rulebook, you become like your nemesis.

You could pretend the incident never happened but that will only worsen your already strained relationship. What’s more your refusal to right your wrong will allow your nemesis to play the role of the aggrieved to the office. That’s the last thing you want. “Put a rogue in the limelight and he will act like an honest man,” Napoleon Bonaparte said.

Don’t expect sympathy when you apologize. After all, the person is a thorn in your side that most likely won’t transform into a rose bush just because you apologize. Don’t let that bother you. The apology is mostly about you anyway. You demonstrate that you’re honest and courageous enough to admit your faults.