Subscribe to my Feed
« How will your company answer the President’s call? | Home | Is Blagojevich blameless … or a blowhard? »
Geithner’s apology was an essential first step toward confirmation
By Lauren | January 25, 2009
Would-be Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner took a drubbing in his confirmation hearings before the Senate Finance Committee last week over his failure to pay about $34,000 in income taxes. Not surprisingly, several members of the committee were reluctant to support his confirmation. (It can be tough to justify appointment of a candidate who allegedly couldn’t keep track of his own finances to the job of handling the nation’s tax revenues.) They asked Geithner a lot of tough questions, and his nomination could easily have failed if he’d blustered or stonewalled in response.
Geithner, however, was smart enough to open his remarks with a humble apology. He freely admitted his mistakes, took responsibility for them (which made his explanations of what happened seem a little less like excuses), and said a clear “I’m sorry.” Then, he listened, letting the skeptical committee members tell him at length about their concerns. Not surprisingly, the committee ultimately voted to confirm Geithner’s nomination and he’s expected to be voted in this week.
Analysts are probably right in their assessment that Geithner’s nomination would have failed in less troubled economic times, and he’s certainly going to have to do some serious work to repair his damaged reputation. Nonetheless, Geithner’s success demonstrates that an effective apology is frequently a crucial first step in restoring trust. Saying “I’m sorry” won’t do it alone - listening and accepting justified criticism is an essential element of an effective apology - but Geithner was smart enough to realize that. As a result, he’s likely to be appointed to one of the most important positions in Washington. If he succeeds, it will be solid proof that it’s possible to rebuild trust quickly after an effective apology is made.
Topics: Apologies, Personal Ethics, Social Ethics, ethics |
February 4th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
The question to me becomes, would he have ever had paid the taxes he owed had he not been nominated? I think I would have to say extremely unlikely. That makes it even more incredible that someone who is about to be the monetary leader of our country gets a free pass just because he says he is sorry.
February 5th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
[...] presents Geithner?s apology was an essential first step toward confirmation posted at The Business Ethics Blog, saying, “The would-be Treasury Secretary’s sincere [...]