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1. Boss, I’m on my way in right now. Traffic is just really bad.
2. Sorry I missed the conference call. I had another meeting that ran late.
3. My apologies for the delay in responding to your email. Your message must have gotten caught in Spam.
4. Thanks for calling me again, and I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to return your call just yet. I’ve been so busy.
5. I meant to follow up with him, but I forgot.

So, how many can you own up to? Even if it’s only one (or yours aren’t on this list), I guarantee that excuses aren’t helping you professionally.
Excuses…
…attempt to justify a fault.
…hide genuine, honest reasons.
…pass blame.
…are easy if you don’t want to be dependable.
…mean more to the giver than receiver.
…make some listeners tune out entirely.
…anger customers.
…mean that something else was more important.
…are a crutch for poor follow-through.
…damage credibility.
Wish you had a better relationship with your coworkers? Or that your boss would give you more responsibility? Or that customers bought from you more often? Or that you’d land that promotion? Stop and take note of the excuses you make.
A few tweaks of your words – and a bit more mindfulness – could be all that is between where you are and where you want to be.

Excuses are like — well, you’ve probably heard the expression. And if you’re like our Director of Customer Experience, you could do without them. Are you prone to making excuses? Do you even notice when you do? Comment below or share with Jennifer directly.