Sometimes, you need to face the music and admit you are wrong. How and when you confess your mistake, however, will influence people's ability to forgive you.
When it comes to saying I'm sorry, sooner is usually better than later, and accepting responsibility is always better than blaming someone else.
There are those who try to get around a real apology with the non-apology apology, which makes the sinner look foolish. In this case, the person says that he isn't really sorry for what he said, but used the wrong word or could have said the same thing in a better way.
These people don't understand that the perceived intent of their words is always worse than whatever words they actually used.
When Whole Foods CEO John Mackey made a weak attempt to apologize for referring to Obamacare as "a form of fascism" by stating that he used the wrong word, it was the perfect example of a non-apology apology.
Progressives, who are the mainstay of Mackey's customer base, will measure Mackey's intent and probably not be appeased.
Then there is the forced and insincere apology. Lance Armstrong's recent apology falls into this category. He has finally disclosed the truth about his doping because he has run out of all other options.
These people are playing games with us. We know it and they know it. Unfortunately, people like Oprah Winfrey give them free air time to make fools of themselves.
Then there are the political non-apologies, where a politician changes their mind about a law they once signed with great fanfare and celebration, but then try to disown any and all responsibility for their actions.
Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott was severely criticized before the 2012 election for signing legislation that cut from 14 to eight the number of voting days in Florida.
The law also eliminated voting on the Sunday before the election in an effort by Scott to stop Black churches from getting their flock to the polls after Sunday services.
During the election, Scott was criticized again when he refused to extend voting hours after thousands of voters across the state were stuck in lines for hours because of the shortened number of voting opportunities. The former Republican Governor of Florida Charlie Crist - now a Democrat - stated the obvious: Scott's efforts were attempts to suppress the minority vote in Florida's big cities.
Two days after the election, Scott told a reporter that he was "very comfortable" with his support of the new election law, even after all the problems Floridians encounter to cast their vote. As a result, Scott's approval rating has plummeted to about 33 percent.
But now Scott is looking at his 2014 re-election chances and they are going down the drain. In response, Scott has had an amazing and sudden change of heart about the voting restriction law he signed just before the 2012 election.
"It was not my bill," Scott stated. "The Legislature passed it. I didn't have anything to do with passing it."
Funny, I don't remember the Florida Legislature holding a gun to Scott's head when he signed the bill into law, praised it as the right thing for Florida and stated that he was "very comfortable" with it afterward.
Scott is now trying to earn the forgiveness of the voters in Florida, not by apologizing or admitting fault, but by suggesting a new law that would restore the extra voting days. "Our ultimate goal must be to restore Floridians' confidence in our election system," Scott said.
I think Scott's ultimate goal is to get re-elected.
Admitting you are wrong is great.
Asking for forgiveness is divine.
But to earn forgiveness, you need to be timely, honest and sincere. People like Mackey, Armstrong and Scott seek our forgiveness by insulting our intelligence.
