Sorry is the hardest word in the office

"I'VE never made a mistake at work in my entire life," declared no one ever. Not to be dismissive, but the only way one can say that is if one doesn't actually do anything.

Of course, not every screw-up is of the same level. It's safe to say that a doctor's blunder during surgery or an oversight by a pilot during a flight would certainly have far worse consequences than, say, someone who works in an office.

I suppose journalists' errors are usually not a matter of life or death, unless you mistakenly report the demise of someone who is still very much alive, which has happened. For better or worse, everything you write is scrutinised by your readers. Running corrections on how you mistook a company's million-dollar profit as a loss or how you somehow referred to a female CEO as a man is really no fun at all, but I suppose the only real damage from grovelling for forgiveness is that done to one's pride and credibility. Growing a thick skin is really not a choice in my line of work.