no apologies for how I may repair

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“I make no apologies for how I chose to repair what you broke.”

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Grey’s Anatomy

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Well. As a self-proclaimed renovator & fixer of businesses, I make no apologies for how I choose to repair what someone else breaks.

Fixing is not a popularity contest.

Shit.

Fixing is not a contest.

When something in business is broken, and by ‘broken’ I mean either not working or not working as well as it should, worrying about what other people think or their feelings kind of takes a back seat to fixing it.

That may sound cold.

That may sound harsh.

But anything less than that infringes upon seeking the best solution.

This does not mean you ignore the fact that people will inevitably dictate the success, or failure, of the solution.

This does not mean you ignore the fact that people, in general, are involved.

All it means is that good business solutions that truly ‘repair’ translates into replacing parts, possibly taking apart and rebuilding and maybe even throwing away old worn out pieces. Shit. You may even throw away some new shiny pieces that just do not belong.

All that it means is if you want to fix something you need to go in with the intent to fix … and nothing less than that.

I make no apologies for that attitude.

And I fix shit.

Regardless of any attitude issues fixing takes on, here is the good news for business fixers and renovators, well, okay, at least the self-aware ones.

I have found that most ‘repairs’ are more like ‘market corrections.’ What I mean by that is a market, a government, a cultural ‘thing’ and, yes, a business, can often take on the characteristics of a pendulum. Something that started out as good and well-intended gains momentum and no one knows how to stop it or , more likely, when things start going good everyone jumps on board like barnacles on a ship. In fact, that is the point I think most people miss. Most significant things that need to be repaired in a business are reflections of groups of people all working together.

And that is a good thing, right?

Many repairers overlook that <I do not>.

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“We’re all working together; that’s the secret.”

Sam Walton

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I clearly understand that fixing is not a popularity contest.

I clearly understand that fixing, when done well, is painful.

But I clearly understand that most ‘brokens’ are a reflection of people working together with an intent that 99% of was good at its onset and , still working together, are more likely just plodding down a road in which they missed a turn maybe 5 miles back <everyone should note that ‘fixing’ does not mean pointing everyone backwards to the turn they missed … but rather accepting the turn was missed>.

And maybe that is why no one worth their shit in the fixing business should never apologize. Because all you are most likely doing in your assholedness renovation stuff … is encouraging people to work together and be the best they can be working together. And people like working together. And people like creating success together.

That’s a good thing, right?

Anyway. Sure.

Let me end by saying that no matter what you do everyone … yeah … everyone …  will eventually have to apologize to someone for something. And as a fixer the burden is upon you <and not them> to insure you have the right words and articulate them well to tactfully address what happened and happens.

I am not going to explain what a good apology is made up of and how it is done because I think ‘formulas for how to do things which are supposed to come from the heart” is really stupid.

Just see it, own it and say it. That is my only formula.

Look. A ‘no apology approach’ to repairing businesses doesn’t mean accepting that being an asshole is part of the job … it just means you recognize your role, accept the goods & bads and take responsibility for it.

All with no “ifs, ands or buts.”

All that said. Repairing what someone else broke demands you think the same <so you can understand why> and, yet, think differently <so you can see the repair> than everyone else.

I end there because if that is true, and I believe it is in my heart of hearts, well, someone is gonna feel like they deserve an apology at some point. That is a given. I accept that upfront and move on.

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“If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.”

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Benjamin Franklin

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