When we mess up : The transformative power in Christian business and leadership.

By Meenakshee (Elisabeth) Kuntz.

In case a reader has the impression that The Christian Executive is an advocacy magazine to promote Christian Leadership as a better model than the worldly system, I would say it is right. If this means that Christians consider themselves as better than others, this is a wrong impression and a false belief. 

Let me explain: We do not claim to be better. In fact, we do fail, make poor decisions, be sources of disappointment for others, and find ourselves in bad situations, be it in business or personal lives, etc. We mess up business relationships, friendships, and family. We leave impressions and souvenirs that we hadn’t intended to.

As individuals, citizens and family people, messing up as a Christian is a normal part of growing up, as it should be for any human. Christians who are stuck in a pattern of continual sins are like the son in the story. We may not know our Heavenly Father well or obey Him consistently, but nothing can change the fact that we’re in a relationship with God (Romans 8:38-39).

We have a wonderful modus operandi when it comes to dealing with our flaws and failures, and if I could sum this up into an equation, I would put it down like this: Information + Application = Transformation. This, is through our personal relation with God “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9) and through faith communities or groups , “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

When it comes to business.

Christian business owners know that God is in control.  We know He cares about our business, wants to guide us, and wants us to trust Him.  We must trust that His will is best for us and our business.  We can’t just expect to get what we want.  We have to trust His will for us. This sounds great philosophically, but how would this response to a bad business trend be any different in practice? By ignoring it?  If we just let go and give it to God, aren’t we ignoring the problem?  Yes, probably. There’s no magic formula to address a bad business situation, but at least we can start by praying to God about the issue.

Secondly, using the talent and skills God has given us, we know that we are in the business for a reason. Remember, when we are worried about our business trajectory, we sometimes focus on other things and actually stop doing quality work.  Then, listen for God’s direction.  This is the nebulous one.  I wish I could be specific, but this all depends.  God could direct us to find out more about the problems. He may help by providing a specific answer to the core problem when you seek it.  He may just open doors as we seek new opportunities to right the ship. I know that listening to God is about taking cautious steps to understand, praying for understanding, and going at a slow enough pace and consistent enough process to see and find the solutions.

Trying one thing at a time.  We all want perfect clarity, but sometimes, it isn’t perfectly clear in God’s refinement of us.  Then, to continue praying, be willing, and be obedient.  A lot of it is our attitude. Even if it is just how our attitude affects us and our team.

When it comes to leadership (church, business and politics).

Christian leaders may face even greater danger because Satan knows how much damage he can cause to the Body of Christ by drawing leaders into failure. “Don’t look down on those who’ve failed. Instead, examine your own life and realise that if you aren’t vigilant, you are in danger, too.” (1 Peter 5:8). We’re all capable of great sin.

Working on this starts with basics like taking responsibility for our failures, processing the setback, giving ourselves a break and changing things up, reflecting with trusted colleagues and mentors, creating contingency plans, determining what’s in your control, and trying new approaches. All this is because we know transformation in Christ salvages journeys, including in business and leadership.

Infidelity, addiction, anger issues, embezzlement and the list could go on, isn’t just for the world. It’s a thriller series in Mauritius, and I will not enter into the details. But how do we deal with it as Christians since we are not exempted from falling into temptation? I like saying that money and power are revealing agents of the true character of a person. If a Christian is in politics, in a position of influence, power or simply at the head of a business or company, how do we deal with it? 

If this happens, we can, however, adopt an attitude of a believer and consider grieving rather than gossiping or gloating. We can pray, of course, allow the situation to redirect our focus on the Giver and not the gift, encourage our leaders or colleagues to be humans and children of God first, look to our own leadership, and make adjustments where God reveals.

In all the above examples, we acknowledge that in business, work, professional relationships and leadership (if not politics), we operate in love, forgiveness and transparency. Naming something is often the first step to finding forgiveness, forgiving the start of healing and deliverance, and allowing God to be God brings us to a place of repair, restoration and transformation. In all this, we are called to be teachable, transformable and humble for greatness.