I was reminded, recently, of how easy it is for this to happen. Two bright and emotionally intelligent people were involved. What one person (A) said was received incorrectly by the other (B). B then did some deep reflection and wrote it to A. A was mortified that their words had been misconstrued and wrote a full reply.
I have no doubt that this will be cleared up and that their sensitive and thoughtful exchanges will have created some valuable learning for each of them and contributed to a deepening ongoing working relationship. I was so impressed by the willingness they both showed to be transparent and vulnerable with one another.
However, this sort of humility is pretty rare. Mostly, we witness miscommunication giving rise to defensiveness or aggression and lingering offense/hurt. This is SO unproductive and downright damaging to teamwork, collaboration and creativity.
A coach or, in very serious cases, a mediator, can be really helpful. Would you, or members of your team, benefit from some coaching sessions? Get in touch and open the door to greatly improved team wellbeing and personal growth.