Imagine that someone did something unkind, unjust, or harmful to you. They never apologize directly, but you notice that after the incident they do change their behavior such that this act never gets repeated. How would you feel?
It’s an odd one, right? One on the one hand, there are few things I dislike more than empty apologies. Give me changed behavior any day! But we often seem to think that changed behavior needs acknowledgement from the changer, don’t we? If they never acknowledge the harm they caused, how can we be sure they’re actually changing their behavior in accordance, and not just behaving differently by coincidence, only to change back next week?
But I don’t want someone being too embarrassed to apologize to be the reason they don’t correct the mistake, either!
Still, all things considered – if someone apologized to me after a demonstrated week of changed behavior, I’d certainly take it more seriously than if they apologized and promised to change in the future. Wouldn’t you?
The Opportunity Machine 