Cancelling Cancel Culture
Too often, when people fail, they are immediately canceled. If someone doesn’t get it right the first time, to avoid causing public embarrassment or disruption, they are not allowed to try again. This is leadership cancel culture. It’s time to cancel cancel culture. Instead, we need a coaching culture. One roots out the person, while the other pulls out their potential.
The Christ-centered leadership model is totally opposite to the corporate model. Jesus models how to lead people. In a culture of coaching, people are valued over platforms and programs. The only way we can ensure that people succeed is to create a culture where they feel safe to fail. The more people are allowed to fail, the more chances they have to succeed.
When my son played High School basketball, one of his coaches would scream at him whenever he messed up, then take him out of the game without any follow up. He was completely demoralized. When someone is removed from an opportunity because of a mistake, they should be coached through their failure and sent running back into the game to try again.
We must stop penalizing people for failing. Aren’t you glad someone believed in you in spite of your inexperience and insecurity? Jesus didn’t choose you because of your experience, ability, or wisdom. He knew what He was getting into, and yet He believed in you anyway and still does. Think of where you would be today if He would have cancelled you. Nowhere.
Failure always precedes growth. How can we see ongoing results with people if we don’t give them the chance to learn from their failures? Replacing people doesn’t produce growth; it creates a vacuum. No wonder so many cultures are void of potential leadership. It’s because there are no potential leaders anywhere to be found. They’ve been dismissed.
Leaders often give up on people because it’s easier to replace them. Yet, while it may seem easier to replace them, it’s far more rewarding to develop them. There’s something incredible about seeing someone grow right before your eyes. It’s our job to reproduce ourselves in others, but we will never reproduce ourselves in others if we are constantly replacing them.
In our next journal, I will present a few practical thought models to help you coach people through failure and continue giving them opportunities to lead.
