I was raised to care deeply about the lessons my parents instilled in me in regards to manners. They were completely inflexible about my saying "please" and "thank you." It was expected that I would address adults with terms such as "Yes, sir," "Yes, ma'am," and "Mr." and "Mrs." My mother also taught me how to write a proper thank you note, and to this day, I will still write three paragraphs, just like she taught me. So why do I mention all of this?
Where have manners gone? In the hospitality industry, one would think
manners matter and would get the focus it deserves with people serving people. Yet, still, we are unpleasantly surprised with the poor manners displayed around us in the service industry.
In today's high-stakes business games, not all errors are forgiven and forgotten, of course. Some may even cost a person his or her job. But in many cases, by taking responsibility and by solving the problem, you may navigate the troubled waters with little if any negative effect on your career. To deny responsibility - to reflexively say, "That's not my fault!" - is almost guaranteed to infuriate everybody.
Here's the big secret: The three ways to make the sale or to successfully close the negotiation are: