The Perfect Excuse
Sarah and her classmates were preparing for a major history presentation. Sarah was responsible for the final slide deck, a crucial part of the project. The night before the presentation, her family had an emergency, and she was so distracted that she completely forgot to finish it. The next morning, she panicked. She could easily lie and say her computer crashed or that the file was corrupted. No one would question it, and her teammates wouldn’t be mad at her because they’d understand it was a technical issue.
But as she walked to class, she felt a knot in her stomach. She thought about how hard her team had worked and how much they trusted her. It felt wrong to deceive them. She decided to tell them the truth, no matter how disappointed they would be.
Before class, she found her teammates. “I’m so sorry,” she began. “Last night was crazy, and I completely forgot to finish the slides. It’s my fault.” She braced herself for their anger. To her surprise, they were concerned about her family and quickly worked together to finish the slides in the ten minutes before class started. They worked faster and better than they ever had before, and they even finished it on time.
Moral of the Story: Honesty can feel like a risk, but it is the key to collaboration. Owning up to a mistake and being vulnerable can inspire others to show you empathy and help you succeed.