Recently I read a social media post that talked about how women are always saying sorry for things. This post pointed out the women do this not only in their personal lives but in business as well. And the writer talked about how this isn’t something that men do very often.

Well, that got me thinking. Was it true for me? Did I apologize if I was busy and took a little longer to respond to a non-client request? Did I apologize if I wanted to change something with a vendor? And I figured out that I was apologizing a lot. It was very eye-opening for me. I was I saying I was sorry all the time. And what was that doing to my credibility?

So, I made the conscience decision to not say “I’m sorry” when “Excuse me” is more appropriate. I decided I wasn’t going to apologize for things when life and business had just been busy. Because I am not sorry. I am not sorry that my business is going great and therefore it takes me a little longer to respond to my network when they are asking for a favor.

Now, this shift in my mindset is a work in progress. I slip up and catch myself saying “I’m sorry” but it is getting less and less. And I now notice when others apologize to me when they really shouldn’t. But why should you consider making this change? You might wonder if it doesn’t make you seem cold. It doesn’t. In fact, we often don’t think about what apologizing all the time is doing. It undermines us as business women. And it dilutes the authenticity of your apology when you really need to make one.

So, give this a try. Start paying attention to when you are saying you are sorry. Are you using that phrase all the time? Are they things you really should be apologizing for or are they just everyday things.

Take this challenge for the month of December to stop apologizing all the time. Imagine if all the women you know did this. What if we all stopped apologizing and started owning that we are busy people and really have very little to say we are sorry for? What could we begin to accomplish? How could we really change the world for our daughters? What would that world look like with powerful women owning their space unapologetically? I for one think that would be beautiful.

By: Amy Matthews, CEO, AMI LC