Sorry may be the hardest word, but it appears to be paying dividends for Premier Mike Baird and the Coalition government.
When in October Baird faced the media to announce a humiliating back down on the push to shut down greyhound racing in NSW, many saw it as damaging to his credibility, given he had spent months arguing the ban was "the right thing to do".
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Baird confirms backdown on greyhound racing ban
NSW Premier Mike Baird announces the NSW greyhound industry will be given "one final chance" under a new regime.
But some inside his party room saw things differently.
One Liberal MP described Baird as "empowered" by his admission that he got it wrong, comparing it favourably to the approach of former prime minister John Howard or former Queensland premier Peter Beattie.
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Another declared it was "the making of the man" and predicted the emergence of a Premier more willing to consult with his party room and the public.
The latest Fairfax/ReachTEL poll suggests they may have been right.
It's clear the voting public has not yet completely re-embraced Baird, who once held the title of Australia's most popular politician.
In this poll, his rating as better Premier has only recovered marginally from the August poll to arrive at a virtual dead heat with Opposition Leader Luke Foley.
That's far from a great result for Baird, given the profile his position affords him, compared with that of the traditional near invisibility of NSW opposition leaders.
This may continue to reflect an "anyone but Baird" attitude from many voters, which will be of concern to him and give hope to Foley that he can exploit this in the 2019 election.
But the electorate does appear to be responding to the government's new mantra that it is listening.
Almost half say they approve of his greyhounds reversal and, despite ongoing angst over council amalgamations, the Coalition primary vote has stood up.
Labor, on the other hand, will be deeply disappointed that several months of turmoil for Baird and his government has not translated into an electoral hit.
On a high after its preferences delivered the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers the Orange byelection, this poll will be a reminder that Labor has a lot of work to do.