LeaderFails

Leadership comes in all kinds of iterations and manifestations.  

Leaders at all levels (in our families, in our houses of faith, in our social networks, in our communities, in our world) can learn much from the fails of leaders past.

Here's what failing leaders DON'T do:

• LISTEN - they fail to stop talking long enough to actually hear the voices, perspectives, insights of others.
• ADMIT - they fail to acknowledge that problems exist, much less the prospect that they themselves could have contributed to the problems.
• FORGIVE - they fail to understand that forgiveness is the first step in healing, the only path toward community.
• HONOR - they fail to respect the dignity of others.
• BRIDGE - they fail to build bridges, concentrating, rather, on magnifying the chasms.
• SEE - they fail to envision and craft better futures, preferring to highlight the problems.

History is littered with examples of failed leadership.  

It is also ripe with examples of leaders who chose the paths of 

Listening, Admitting, Forgiving, Honoring, Bridging, and Seeing.  

None perfectly so, but always and persistently with betterness in mind.

We can learn quite a lot from both.