I Confess

This past Wednesday marked the beginning of the Lenten season for Christians, the forty days that count down the calendar to Easter Sunday. Lent is a time to confess and repent, a personal invitation to review one’s life and consider where behavior may have fallen short. Leaders are certainly guilty of behaving badly as evidenced by public examples that now routinely end up on YouTube and television. Unfortunately many of them simply blame their circumstances on someone or something else instead of acknowledging personal culpability. We all know denial or finger pointing won’t help fallen leaders become more effective or respected.

Why do leaders fail to recognize the value of confession as a powerful tool for emotional release and restoration? I know from personal experience that my actions in the workplace aren’t always acceptable. When I deny the problem my moral compass causes me to feel guilty. If I never apologize to the person I have hurt, or make amends to a customer that was treated poorly, the guilt I am feeling may eventually subside or even disappear. But the person I have wronged may never understand or forgive my actions. That relationship could be damaged beyond repair and the consequences could cost me dearly.

It seems simpler and healthier to confess and repair the damage when our actions or inactions cause someone else pain. If the benefits are so obvious why don’t we behave this way? There is certainly cultural pressure to blame others and for some leaders this peer pressure may be difficult to overcome. Unfortunately, truth-telling has become secondary to profits, political correctness, and protecting one’s interests or image. Our nation has also lost much of the religious and moral fabric that once pervaded the way we conducted business and behaved personally and professionally.

Perhaps it is time to admit there are consequences to carrying the weight of our transgressions throughout the day. Guilt saps our physical energy, drains us emotionally, and deadens our spirit. Leaders would do well to simply own and name their misdeeds. That act of confession could become a powerful instrument for healing. Relationships could be restored and new models for organizational behaviors established. We need leaders with the courage to authentically repent. The next forty days is a good place to start.