You made a mistake. I made a mistake. Hundreds of them.
Someone points it out. You say:
“Of course. You’re right, let me clarify what I meant.”
Then, when your worst antagonist points out your silly mistake in the most demeaning, disrespectful, antagonistic way possible, you say:
“Of course, you’re right, let me clarify what I meant.”
Mad respect for that answer from anyone who matters. If they don’t matter, then their opinion doesn’t matter either. A choice that they made. But you did the right thing. It’s not an “apology necessary” situation (yet), it just needs a correction. It’s not a fail - it’s a win.
Not saying it’s easy. Just saying the outcome is a little counter intuitive, but perfectly rewarding.