Regardless of ministry, business, school, or sports, one of the most sought after attributes is leadership. For the motivated individual the pursuit of position, title, opportunity, and potential for experience can be directly tied to that acquisition of leadership. However, for many the pursuit of leadership is done somewhat blindly. The assumption is a path resulting in doors magically opening up and the enjoyment of utter success. Reality check, this is not normal and in fact is quite the contrary in many occasions.

Possibly the most critical responsibility of any leader, is the ability and desire to lead through failure. We don’t talk about this much in business classes or ministry training programs, but this is essential to the development and future success of any leader.

Leading through failure says something about the character of a leader.

Namely, that in the most dire situation they are considerate and aware of the condition and emotion of those they lead. The experience of failure is not only a hit to the leader, but also the team collectively. As a leader looks to the condition of their team, the team feels a sense of security and assurance that in any circumstance (failure or success) they will be considered and are valued.

Failure serves as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Leading through failure provides the opportunity for the team to engage in a shared experience, though it may be challenging, can be something that causes the team to connect in a unique way. A leader that highlights and identifies those learning opportunities has the capacity to take his team to the next level. In fact the experiences of leading and following form part of the fabric of our existence. ^[1] 

The experience of failure is real life.

It grounds a leader and gives them a sense of reality. Not everything we put our minds to will result in success. While it’s important to think positively and focus on success, being naive or negligent of the possibility of failure is foolish. It set’s the leader up for shock which in turn is detrimental in his ability to lead in light of failure.

There are some incredible resources out there to help you in the study of leadership and begin to form out a strategy for you ministry or business context. However, the most vital and helpful in my opinion is the Bible. While the Bible may not give a clean cut definition or provide the four steps to success, it does something better. The Bible gives us example after example of incredibly talented and successful godly leaders. Even more helpful, we find out that all of them have some serious issues, character flaws, and insecurities that on the surface would seem to disqualify or hinder their ability to lead well. However, we find relief and hope in the fact that as believers we can hold to Colossians 2:10, “You have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority”. Therefore, the leader that puts their trust, hope, and faith in Christ will find a sense of satisfaction that is not contingent upon their success or failure but stems from who Christ is and what he has done.

^[1] Leland Ryken et al., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 492.