The Power of “I’m Sorry”

Being in a position of power does not make school leaders without fault or able to anticipate outcomes beyond a reasonable doubt. As the professional in relationships with school parents, it is the responsibility of the school leader to engage in authentically listening the to concerns of school families. Sometimes, mistakes have been made. In other cases, no mistake was made but injury was still caused. Regardless of the circumstance, when a grievance is brought forward the school leader is professionally obligated to reflect on the actions taken and determine if an error was made or any hurt caused.

An apology is not an admission of guilt, it is simply an acknowledgement that, in the opinion of someone, something harmful has transpired. A school leader should never apologize for anything for which they are not authentically and wholeheartedly sorry about. The undersireable outcome of a decision, the hurt feelings of a child or a parent– these may be the result of excellent decision making on the