Yothu Yindi

Today is Australia Day.

This is not like Independence Day in the US.  We don't walk around wishing each other "Happy Australia Day", we don't do anything particularly Australian, we don't do much except enjoy a day off work. Or at least that's how it was with my family, friends and me. And generally how it was when I was growing up - maybe it's a bit more than that nowadays.

Living in the UK I feel it a little bit more, and I take time to think about Australia, an integral part of my formative years, and who I am. But again, it's not something I usually post about.

I also don't make a fuss about it because it's a day that causes some pain to Indigenous Australians. Not only the date (which is a big part of it) but the concept. I believe the date needs to be changed, and the day needs to be redefined to be more inclusive and pay particular attention to a long, long Aboriginal history.

Like others this morning, I tried to share Yothu Yindi's 'Treaty' on Facebook.  Like others I was stunned to find that it is banned as it apparently goes against Facebooks "community standards".

Dear me.

However, I see no reason why I can't post it here, and then link to it.

Please enjoy and share the link to this post.

Sorry / Not Sorry

I've recently had a couple of instances where the customer service has been less than satisfactory. One in particular really stood out, and I was extremely disppointed. I politely let them know that the service was less than exemplary, and instead of an apology, I received passive-aggressive comments before they apologised for me - on my behalf. The whole "Sorry you see it that way..." thing.

I suspect someone in management once shared the idea you can sound like you're apologising without actually being sorry, while placing the blame on the other person.  Probably learned it in a CPD session.

But that's OK. It was only an enquiry and they lost my potential custom.

On the other hand, I recently placed an order which messed up due to a glitch in the system. I gave them a phone call, a reasonably lasrge local company, and they were friendly, funny and helpful.  Oh, and they apologised.

See the difference? One took responsibility and sorted it out quickly.

None of us are perfect. Mistakes happen. I try to admit to them when I'm behind them, apologise, and move to quickly remedy the situation.  I don't always get it right, but sometimes all it takes is to be honest and open.