Like you, I was confused when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars. I questioned whether did what I just saw really happen? Was this a part of the show? 

When I realized this was not, I immediately became angry at Will Smith and the Academy for letting physical violence happen during a live telecast. Do stars get different treatment when it comes to committing acts of violence? I feared for the next time I was on stage; would I have to physically defend myself if inadvertently insulted someone? There is so much bullying and violence in this world, are we now live-streaming it? 

Let me be clear: What Chris Rock said was not okay, but what Will Smith did was worse. I was troubled that so many people online were calling Smith “chivalrous” for defending his wife. You can defend her by yelling , screaming, cursing or getting up and leaving…but never resort to physical violence under these circumstances. After 20 years of karate, I learned if you can escape a fight, you do. To make matters worse, when Smith won his award, he got a standing ovation from attendees and he did not apologize to Chris Rock.

I was relived when a day later, Will Smith issued a well crafted apology probably written by his PR team. 

But do apologies even matter?

Here is why they do:

  1. We all make mistakes. Apologies give us a chance to ask forgiveness which is a very uniquely human attribute. 
  2. It sets the record straight. Unlike some politicians that never apologize, making an apology acknowledges to others that you realize what you did was wrong. You are no longer justifying your actions. Most importantly, You are holding yourself accountable.
  3. It starts the healing process. Apologies enable you to move forward and fix what got broken.

As small business owners we can’t always do everything right but we need to make it right when things go wrong.