Everyone wants an explanation of why things turned out so poorly or so well. Almost no one wants to hear an excuse.
An explanation helps you and others understand, so that you can take ownership of poor, or unexpected outcomes. An excuse pushes ownership of a problem onto something or somebody else.
The first, an explanation, is empowering. Ownership gives us permission to think, make decisions and try to fix a problem. The latter, an excuse, removes power from us because it is someone else’s problem, therefore someone else’s responsibility to look at and to fix the problem.
Charles Tadros, M.D.
November 7, 2021
Saint Louis, Missouri