Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. (Matthew 5:7)
Let’s say your church has two services, one at 9:00AM and the other at 11:00AM. At the morning’s first service, some mistakes were made. Inefficiencies were revealed. Everyone’s hearts were in the right place but some things could have been done better.
Adjustments were made between services and the 11:00 time together ran much more smoothly.
So how do you handle this as a leader in the following week’s staff and one-on-one meetings?
I would tell the person over the area where the mistake was made that I was proud of him or her. You see, no one is perfect. We all make mistakes. I know I’ve made my fair share and will probably make some more in the very near future. What I appreciate, however, is the mistake was immediately recognized and corrected.
The person owned it. Adjustments were promptly made. And for that they should be commended.
The Real Problem
The problem is not the person who makes an honest mistake and corrects it. The problem is the person who makes careless mistakes or the same mistake over and over and over again, and does not correct it or think they are doing anything wrong.
As a leader, it is important to have a healthy perspective. It is best to show mercy because we will all need it ourselves in the near future. Also, the sun will come up tomorrow. Sundays come around with amazing regularity. In fact, I’ve heard one is coming again in seven days. We evaluate and then move on to this next weekend.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
