A Time to Mourn

Perhaps all of us have experienced a time when we were belittled by a leader for a mistake we made. Some leaders make themselves feel better by making others feel worse. This isn’t the way of Jesus.

A leader should mourn the errors of his team. What did I miss as a leader? Did we train well? Did we count all the costs and consider all possibilities for this project? Did we have a backup plan?

Many of us have felt at some time in our career that we were “set-up to fail.” I’ve never understood that claim, but I understand that after a bad day with a project it can feel as if someone was expecting failure at my expense. Was I the project scapegoat who forgot to escape?

Leaders must mourn the fact that we didn’t provide the resources, thinking and time required to set up the project to succeed. In our mourning, we must learn from all that went wrong and know that surely better days are ahead. We must deal with our own shortcomings long before we speak with others about their mistakes.

The Lord tells us in Mathew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

I believe that the Lord’s message about mourners is of great importance to leaders. We are to mourn when we see ourselves and others behave like the carnal-minded. Repentance is comforting. I know when I err toward others and bellow with the strength of man, I miss God’s favor and comfort.

When I am less than what God wants me to be, I want to run to Him for restoration with a cry like David’s: “Search my heart to see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way of everlasting (Ps. 139:24, KJV). God’s love draws us to mourn our mistakes and seek forgiveness.

Joy comes in the mourning.

When we observe our team members doing the wrong things for wrong reasons, we may have a tendency to rear up in strength and demand correction. When mistakes are made, loving leaders confront and teach. A leader’s desire should be to help the team member find their own way to repair a problem. My job as a leader is not to make a worker mourn. We want the worker to mourn by their own choice and seek restoration from the Lord. 

When I am confronted by the Holy Spirit, it feels as if I have been questioned.

“Why are you here Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9)

“Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29)

“What were you talking about on the road?” (Mark 9:33)

The Lord knows the answer to every question he asks before He asks it. It is my free moral agency to confess my weakness and seek His strength. Comfort comes to us at the time we cry out for His strength.

Effective leaders are the first to mourn and never purpose to cause mourning in others.

“It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind; and the living will lay it to heart” (Eccl. 7:2).

My new book, Love Leads will be released by Charisma House in mid-July. It is available for pre-order today on Amazon. Would you help me spread the message of loving leadership?

Please pre-order today.

Platform Tip # 154

We build our platforms for people who have problems in search of answers. We develop content to help people.

But we struggle to find the people who need us.

And people with problems have trouble finding people like you who can help.

Problems and solutions always struggle to find each other.

If your platform isn’t easy to find by the people who need you the most, you must adjust your message, the frequency, and the carrier.