As the week draws to a close, we have witnessed two top execs make a complete mess of handling a media crisis. Both John Spicer, the White House spokesperson, and Oscar Munoz, United Airlines Chief Executive, effectively apologised too little and far too late. The results have been humiliating.

BBC journalist Katty Kay seemed to sum up the feelings of many, when she wrote: “It’s never clear to me why it’s so hard for people to say sorry. It’s a simple word, just two syllables and its positive impact is enormous.”

Branding expert, Jonathan Gabay, raised the same issue. In an interview on Sky TV, Gabay noted the continual arrogance of big brands who try to ‘get away with it’. The more they try to cover up or ignore the issue, the more it turns into a sticky plaster. The story just does not go away, until handled fully and transparently.

Thinking beyond these stories, the lessons go further. How many of us know managers or senior employees who make a mistake and then try to bluff their way out of it. The methods vary from lying, blaming others, creating a diversion / another incident, or otherwise. But at the end of the day, it is the same. They try not to say that 5-letter word – s o r r y.

I remember a former boss of mine in a large multinational who mucked up a budgeting item, despite my warning. 12 months later, he had to account for his actions. His semantics sounded pathetic because they were pathetic. The point of this anecdote is that the manager loses the confidence of those around them. Their legitimacy is diminished. As with Spicer or the United Airlines, who can trust them?

What Gabay and Kay are calling for is very similar to my role as a business mentor and coach. When talking with my customers, I stress that in this era of immediate communication, your community and far beyond demand accountability, 24/7. Try to shirk from this responsibility and you will damage those around you, your company and ultimately yourself.