The Bulletproof Leader: Overcome FailureSample

Leaders will fail

We all want to be the champ, the winner, and winning means being the last person standing.

Losing does not come easy to a natural-born leader. If caught off guard, the anguish that comes with feeling inferior can invite feelings of insecurity and self-doubt. Even leaders who are usually confident and carefree can find themselves suffering from the sudden shock of unexpected failure. It is usually during those times that issues of the heart find their way to the surface for all to see.

As I scan through the Bible and study various leaders, my thoughts often land on the apostle Simon Peter. His actions and reactions are textbook examples of what happens when leaders make impulsive, thoughtless decisions. One night, before the crucifixion, Jesus talked to his apostles about their forthcoming failures. In a candid way, he gave them a two-fold prophecy: They would fail, and he would pray for them to recover from failure. In a roundabout way, he explained that failure doesn’t negate favor. Through prayer and a repentant heart, today’s mistakes can be the launch pad for tomorrow’s miracles. That truth found its way to the apostle Simon Peter.

Simon (Peter) convinced himself that he was prepared to die for Jesus, but he wasn’t. The words of Jesus’ prophecy, that Peter would deny knowing him three times (see Luke 22:31–34), shortly came to pass in the garden of Gethsemane. Judas, another disciple, led a midnight mob to where Jesus was praying. In a sinister scuffle, Peter drew his sword and took a swipe at a guard’s head, severing his ear. In a way that only grace can respond, Jesus reached out and reattached the guard’s ear.

After the chief priests arrested Jesus, Peter followed behind from a safe distance. While Jesus was under interrogation by the council of scribes and elders, Peter cowered in the courtyard. As Jesus had warned, Peter was not yet a strong enough leader to stand up for the truth. When bystanders asked him about his relationship to Jesus, Peter swore, “I do not know the man” (Matthew 26:72). Not once, not twice, but three times Peter had a chance to die with Jesus, as he had promised. And three times he failed.

Peter wasn’t the only one who went against their word that night. The Scriptures say that all the other disciples fled the scene (Matthew 26:56).

Every leader at one point or another has felt the tension between wanting to leave a difficult, messy situation or committing to stick it out to the end. If you are in that season of life, it may bring comfort to remember that even the hearts of giant killers like David pounded away during seasons of extreme pressure. In a frightening season, David wrote these words: “My heart pounds in my chest. The terror of death assaults me. Fear and trembling overwhelm me, and I can’t stop shaking. Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest!” (Psalm 55:4–6 NLT).