After You Fail: A Leader's 5 Step Plan to Fail Forward Sýnishorn

Fail Forward

Today’s focus verses remind us that God is more about reclaiming and redeeming than keeping score.

No matter the type of mistake or failure, if we’re held hostage by shame and regret, our leadership becomes crippled. Instead, it helps to remember how God views our mistakes. He doesn’t want us to pin us down in punishment. Instead, he wants us to learn, grow, and draw closer to him. He wants us to fail forward.

We’ve looked at David, Jonah, and Peter, but there are others who made mistakes, too: Moses distrusted and disobeyed God. Abraham lied about his wife to protect himself. Sarah laughed at God’s promises and then denied it. Jacob lied and manipulated to steal his brother’s birthright. Yet, we see these people engaged in God’s redemptive work: they fail, learn, and try again.

They repent, acknowledge God’s justice and mercy, and keep going. The Bible doesn’t gloss over their shortcomings or erase their kingdom contributions.

I have my own list of failures. Misjudgments at work, home, or in any area of our lives are bound to happen. We make a hasty decision or a poor one. Our priorities get jumbled up, and our relationships get off balance. We disappoint our family, friends, coworkers, or boss. When this happens, we grieve the consequences, but we don’t have to camp out there. Here’s what we can do instead.

Approach conversations and situations with humility. Whether you’ve made a mistake with an employee, your boss, or a coworker, don’t despair. Reset the relationship by being honest about your mistake and how you’ll act or lead differently from now on.

Trust God to set you back on a solid path. We sometimes forget God is never outdated! He understands our leadership mishaps just as well as he understands us. When our confidence takes a hit because we made a mistake, we can bring our worries to the Lord. He can give us wisdom and the courage to reset and keep going.

Keep moving forward. Don’t let your failures paralyze you. We can’t change what happened in the past, but we can make changes to prevent the same mistakes from happening in the future. We can grow from what we learn and step confidently into the next situation, knowing that mistakes are not permanent markers against us.

Be encouraged, dear one. Failure doesn’t disqualify us; God can restore and repurpose even our worst mistakes. Go deeper in this study by ordering your copy of Sacred Work: Equipping Christian Women to Lead with Strength today!