You buried the lede. Apologies make us sound conciliatory, and it’s not weak-looking as much as it is unproductive. On the flip side, we colleagues need to be more encouraging with our people. And we can’t just say it, we need to show it. When someone apologizes, we can show them the benefit of alternatives, not just telling them they *don’t* need to say so. “When you apologize, it makes you sound like you’re unprepared for this task, and just look at all the ways you’ve really excelled at it!” It’s a longer road, and really fruitful. Great conversation to be having.