Podcast, Season 2, Episode 13: Lessons On Leadership From the Life and Times of Ezra (part 13 – What To Do When You’ve Messed Up)

In my thirty years of life and experience in leadership roles in Christian organizations, there are leadership lessons that I learned (and continue to learn) from the life of ministry to which God called me.  Over that time, He taught me lessons based on stories, principles, and truths from the Bible that have been translated into personal application.  This particular series of articles focuses on a set of those lessons drawn from the book of Ezra in the Old Testament, the same lessons that I have published in my latest book. This week, in part 13, I am discussing one of several lessons on the practice of leadership, this one is about navigating restoration when you have messed up. Here is the transcript of the podcast.

In this series, we are diving deeper into principles and practices that connect biblical truth with wisdom and applying them to the practice of leadership. The purpose of the series, and of the website as a whole, is to connect faith, wisdom, and leadership in a way that will help you grow in your leadership and make an impact. That starts with realizing that God has a plan and purpose that can be trusted, whether or not we can visibly see His hand in it, and He has a part for us in this purpose.

We then spent 3 weeks laying the groundwork for effective leadership, using the analogy of the starting blocks in a race, when all the runners line up and get into position, and the starter yells, “On your mark, get set, go!” The first command, “On Your Mark,” was all about getting to the starting line and in the right place by getting yourself into the right frame of mind and equipping yourself for what is coming. Aligning yourself with truth by seeking and knowing God and knowing where He has placed you, and by establishing your foundational beliefs and values, gives you the capability to lead. The second command, “Get Set,” was all about getting into position in the right form, so that you are best prepared to start well. Performing the actions that set you up to be followed and trusted involves living your life so that your actions and behaviors reflect those beliefs, and that gives you the credibility to lead. The final command, “Go,” is when the starter’s pistol goes off and you start running. That’s when your work begins as you start leading your people and your organization toward your mission, vision, or change. This is hard work and therefore requires someone who is both capable and credible, and that’s why this step must follow the other two. But with those things in place, the race is underway, and what follows are the things you do to maintain your pace and your race. We have already talked about the importance of the ability to see the big picture, giving people a voice in the process and then motivating them, facing obstacles and opposition, the importance of celebrating, and the process of strategic planning. Today, in the last of these tools before wrapping up the series, we are discussing the topic of restoration, or what to do if things have gone wrong or you have messed up.

In one of my experiences as a head of school, I was also the self-appointed student government advisor. I did that because I wanted to be connected to the student leaders, and through them, the student body. In addition, I had lots of good ideas in my mind from previous school experience that I knew were going to be a great blessing and benefit to the students. So, as we were preparing to plan the first big student event, I came into the planning meeting and immediately dove into my ideas with great gusto and enthusiasm. In my enthusiasm, I failed to think about the fact that I wasn’t listening first, and did not see their faces begin to shut down. When I left the meeting, I was so excited about “our” ideas, but the next day, the board president called me to tell me that I had alienated the students and they were very upset. I had to acknowledge how I had blown it, and then I had to call the students in, humble myself, sincerely apologize, and give them the authority to make the plans for this event. I had messed up, and in the process had damaged relationships, and I had to bring about reconciliation and restoration.

Sometimes you mess up. Sometimes other people mess up and you have to take ownership of it anyway. Sometimes things happen that are nobody’s fault, and you get to deal with the fallout. Regardless, one of your responsibilities as a leader is to take the blame and make it right. Ezra modeled this in Ezra 9 and 10 when he took responsibility for the sin of the people, even though he had not committed that sin. I demonstrated this when I had to take responsibility that was my own fault. I don’t know what your circumstances are, but you need to be ready to do what is necessary to make things right when you, or someone else, have messed up.

There are six steps you need to take to do this:

1. Own it: take personal responsibility even if it’s not your fault (it starts with you)
2. Admit it: give a public acknowledgment and statement without casting blame
3. Address it: determine and identify the change that needs to happen to bring about restoration and healing
4. Change it: put the change into process (and involve everyone as you do it)
5. Share it: talk about it to everyone who has or will be affected
6. Check it: check to make sure the process has been completed and the change has happened

Whether it’s your fault or not, when you are the leader, you need to take charge of the healing process. Jim Collins talks about a leader as someone who is both humble and bold, and this is the humble side. You’ve heard the saying, “The buck stops here,” and in part, that includes taking responsibility when things have gone wrong or aren’t working. The bottom line is that when something has gone wrong or has messed up, or when you’ve done wrong or messed up, you need to take responsibility for it, and then follow a process to repair, restore, reconcile, and heal. When you’ve blown it, own it, and then make it right.