The Apology...

One of the hardest things for most people to do is to apologize. And even if we grudgingly apologize we don't always send out the correct message. Most people are smart enough to recognize when an apology is insincere, and those that are insincere usually do more harm than good...
So when is an apology needed, and what does a good one look like? When we do something wrong, or we wrong another person an apology is in order. An apology should examine our behavior, empathize with the wronged party, and recognize our need to change. When we come across as insincere in any of these areas we tend to add insult to injury. And we're often insincere because our focus is on ourselves- we have to admit wrong, we have to say "I'm sorry", we have to change behavior. Our focus is all about ourselves, and admitting wrong is always difficult for our self esteem, our self image.
But the apology isn't about us, for except for alieviating guilt in our heart (which, incidentally, is important), we really don't benefit greatly from apologizing. So what is the benefit? If we change our focus, if we truly empathize with the one who's wronged, we see how greatly beneficial a sincere apology is. When we sincerely say "I'm sorry" we are not just acknowledging our wrong; what we are doing is communicating to the wronged party that "I care". We're saying to them that they are important to us, that our relationship has value. Others want to know that the relationship they are investing in, whether business, personal, or social, is with someone who cares.
One element of a successful relationship is that both parties feel the other is as committed to it as the other, and our ability, or willingness, to apologize strengthens that feeling. By apologizing we're telling our wronged that we recognize and feel bad about our error or behavior, we acknowledge we hurt them, and they are important enough to us for us to change that wrong behavior so that our future endeavors will be better. And when we're sincere an apology becomes a steppingstone to a stronger, better relationship.
Food for thought...