( CNN ) -- Can anyone out there tell me how many times during this presidential election cycle the term `` double-down '' has been used ? My old-school hash mark technique is thoroughly inadequate to keep up with the count . It seems that not a day goes by without my hearing or reading , sometimes multiple times , the term `` double-down . '' One side or the other side makes a crazy statement and we wait for an `` apology , '' for someone to say I did not have all the information or I made a mistake or I should never have said that . Do we get it ? We get doubling-down . We get Mitt Romney and Republican surrogates holding firm and `` doubling-down '' on factually flawed statements about the tragedy in Libya . We get them `` doubling down '' on bizarre comments about 47 % of Americans feeling entitled . No apologies . Just doubling down . When I first noticed this term , I thought OK , they are standing firm -- with emphasis . It did not seem a bad term , especially when used as a matter of one 's convictions , a confident playing of the hand one has been dealt . After all , being flaky or bending with every wind is not a good thing . But we are talking about leadership here ! The leadership of a country , of a free people , of a complex , critical and changing world . How does `` double-down '' fit in these contexts ? Opinion : The true difference between Obama , Romney . Firm , principled and resolute leaders are fine . But we also like our leaders to be human -- flaws and all -- self-aware in their imperfections . They are more trustworthy that way . Jonathan Lloyd wrote an article late last year for the NBC Los Angeles website entitled `` Famous Apologies or Nonapologies . '' The top 10 in recent times , according to Lloyd , include Bill Clinton , 1998 ; Jimmy Swaggart , 1998 ; Olympian Marion Jones , 2007 ; Sen. Larry Craig , 2007 ; Gov . Eliot Spitzer , 2008 ; and Tiger Woods , 2010 , among others . If you are breathing , you should have listened to or heard of one or more of these apologies and know how you reacted to them . While you may not agree with the list , you must agree they were pretty famous `` please forgive me 's . '' Some were from leaders ; some worked and some did not . But they all were an attempt to close the circle on a transgression and regain trust , something we expect of a well-raised child . And a responsible adult . Which brings me to what my Mama and Daddy taught me : `` When you mess up fess up . '' Tell the truth and tell them before they find out . They taught me that punishment would not go away , but would be far less severe if I told the truth about what happened and how or why I veered off the charted course . My parents believed in corporal punishment , so I got the message with great clarity . From where does this new notion of doubling-down come ? Anyone who doubles-down on what everyone knows ( or will soon find out to be ) ill-informed , offensive or untenable positions , is either a fool or believes everyone else is . Further , what kind of leader molds himself or herself in perfection and cements his or her thinking into antiquity ? A few years ago Linda Stamato wrote an article for the Ivey Business Journal entitled : `` Should Business Leaders Apologize ? Why , When , and How an Apology Matters . '' One quote from the piece is most appropriate during this election season : . `` Questions of timing are critical . The longer it takes a business leader or a section manager , for example , to acknowledge his or her mistake , the more likely the undecided folks will turn against him or her . Business leaders need to understand that if , in the end , it is going to be disclosed that they have erred , it 's better to own up as quickly as possible in order to have a hand in making repairs . `` To acknowledge a mistake is to assert secure leadership ; to take responsibility and prescribe a corrective course of action is wise management . Taking responsibility for an error earns the privilege of being forgiven , and thus granted a second chance . '' Opinion : How Romney really feels about Republicans . Here are some other takes on the issue that our politicians might do well to read . Erika Andersen 's article for Forbes Magazine entitiled `` Courageous Leaders Do n't Make Excuses ... They Apologize . '' And for the one-minute manager fans , Tom Peters has a segment on YouTube called `` Leadership : The Power of the Apology , '' in which he encourages us to become students of apology . He says , `` Learning how to apologize effectively is the real essence of strategic strength . '' Let 's reposition the notion of apology and give it the significance in our political discourse it rightly deserves . Apology must not become a dirty word . The ability to apologize is a sign of leadership strength , not weakness . It communicates humility and acknowledges the value of others . It is a skill to be studied , an art to be mastered . It heals and strengthens individuals , communities and nations . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Marsha Sampson Johnson .
Marsha Johnson : This election season , it seems like politicians are continually `` doubling-down '' She says this term is meant to seem strong , but just avoids fessing up . She says we like strong leaders , but want them to be self-aware ; it 's not weak to admit flaws . Johnson : The longer a leader takes to admit flaw , the more some will turn against them .