During the festivities for the presidential inauguration of Donald J. Trump, Trump's wife, Melania--the new First Lady--approached Barack and Michelle Obama with a gift in a blue box. She handed it off to the former First Lady, who...well, let's just say the internet had some new fodder.



What exactly happened?



Mrs. Obama awkwardly turned here and there with the box, looking very briefly at the news cameras. As Cavan Siecskowski of The Huffington Post reports, her expression quickly went viral, with people on Twitter and other platforms captioning the image and making jokes. They guessed what was in the box and speculated that Mrs. Obama was less than happy to get the First Lady's present, but there's a simple, social-construct-based explanation for what happened, too.



First Lady Trump was absolutely in the etiquette right to present a farewell gift to the Obamas, and Mrs. Obama herself had presented a gift to Laura Bush during the inauguration in 2008. But Mrs. Obama had a dilemma, too. Etiquette says to hold onto a gift and not immediately set it aside, but the arrival of the Trumps also was a major photo opportunity for the press. Although Mrs. Obama technically should have held onto the gift, she also needed to ensure it wasn't in the way for a more poised picture of the two families. Laura Bush was able to tactfully move Mrs. Obama's gift behind Mr. Obama during photos for the 2008 inauguration, but as the Trumps and Obamas shuffled to figure out where to stand, Mrs. Obama might have been less certain where the best position for the box would be.



As the Trumps learn, you can, too.



First Lady Trump's gesture was wonderfully kind and speaks well of her apparent desire to bring graciousness into the White House. But it also holds some pretty significant lessons for anybody in business:



1. Think ahead.



With a little better planning, the First Lady could have delivered her gift at another time, when it would have been easier to set aside with more leisure.



2. Mistakes are OK.



Both President Trump and the First Lady are new to the political scene. This small "mistake" thus likely isn't going to be the last. And you'll probably make tons of errors as you grow your career or business, too. The key is just to look back at what happened, so you can avoid those same mistakes, seeing your blunders as learning opportunities.