Perhaps the two most difficult sentences to utter at work (and in life) are: “I’m sorry” and “You are forgiven.” The good news is that there are ways to productively practice apologizing and forgiving others at work while also protecting your image and reputation.

• To get better at saying sorry, you’ll need to manage your pride. When you’re the new person on a team or just beginning your career, you may feel extra pressure to prove your competence to other people. While your instinct is a good one, you need to pair it with self-awareness to properly see your own shortcomings.
• You can cultivate self-awareness by practicing humility or having an unpretentious understanding of your skills — what you’re good at and what you still need to learn. Start by demystifying the idea of making a mistake. When you fail at something, try not to react immediately. Instead, pause and take a breath.
• If you have the courage to own up to your mistake, apologize, and propose a solution, you’ll show everyone that you have gracefully learned a lesson and will not make that mistake again.
• To get better at forgiving, be manage your reactions when you witness someone else make a mistake. You won’t always need to say the words “You are forgiven” or initiate a full on discussion. Just remain calm, non-judgmental, and help the other person work through it.