How to repair a relationship in 3 steps | Pearl Moses | TEDxArden University Manchester

Mistakes are part of every person's work and life, and the talk focuses on what happens in the moments after they occur. It argues for replacing defensiveness with courage: naming the misstep, owning its impact, and taking practical action to repair the harm. According to the talk, accountability is a practical commitment rather than a public confession, and leaders who model honest responsibility help teams speak up, learn faster and rebuild trust.

• Naming a mistake, owning its impact and acting to repair it
• Why accountability is a practical promise rather than a public confession
• How leaders who model responsibility make teams feel safe to speak up
• Repair over perfection as a basis for dependable cultures

Everyone makes mistakes—but the heartbeat of who we are is revealed in the seconds after. This talk invites us to trade defensiveness for courage: name the misstep, own the impact, and take action to repair. Accountability isn’t a public confession; it’s a practical promise that restores dignity and rebuilds trust. When leaders model honest responsibility, individuals and teams feel safe to speak up, learn faster, and grow stronger together. Repair over perfection creates cultures where people can be imperfect and still be dependable. Choose repair—and you don’t just recover from failure; you reshape what’s possible. Pearl Moses is Compliance Director at Setfords Law Ltd and a solicitor with several years’ experience in regulatory compliance, legal publishing, and private practice. Formerly Risk and Compliance Lead at the Law Society of England and Wales, she has held senior regulatory roles and serves on the Law Society’s Legal Compliance Bulletin’s editorial board. Pearl is a sought after speaker and is author of Owning Up to Mistakes, an ethics and culture focused book published by the Law Society of England and Wales. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx