In the great book No More Mr. Nice Guy by Dr. Robert Glover, he explains the "DEER response," which is an acronym for:

* Defend

* Explain

* Excuse

* Rationalize

The DEER response is basically all the ways we get defensive -- and it's deeply damaging to personal relationships.

I love how you make the advice about what to do instead of being defensive (apologize & say how you can fix what you did) so realistic & actionable, plus your story about feedback from your manager is compelling. Thanks for sharing!