Mistakes as a leader

The biggest stressor of being a leader isn’t the workload or the pressure… it’s the awareness that at some point, you’re going to mess up. You’ll make the wrong call. You’ll say the wrong thing. And sometimes, those decisions will impact the very people who trusted you to make the right one.

That reality can be paralyzing. I think that’s why so many people shy away from leadership. They’re not unwilling to serve; they’re simply terrified of what might happen if they fail and how people will respond. But leadership, at its core, isn’t about perfection. It’s about FAITH. Trusting God in the middle of your imperfections and letting Him use even your mistakes to shape others.

The Question Every Leader Faces

I’ve often asked myself: How do you be an effective leader in the midst of your own mistakes?

If you apologize too much, people may lose confidence in your ability to recover. But if you apologize too little and just move on, they might think you don’t care about how your mistake affected them. That balance is hard, and the tension is real.

Over time, through prayer and experience, I’ve realized that how you handle your mistakes can define your leadership more than the mistakes themselves.

Building a Culture of Grace

A friend told me, “Ryan, build a culture of grace.”

That simple phrase changed the way I lead. Because the truth is… everyone makes mistakes including you. Leaders, followers, and everyone in between. But when you lead with grace, when you allow people to see that you are willing to forgive their shortcomings and humble enough to acknowledge your own, something powerful happens.

You create a team that doesn’t crumble under pressure but grows through it.

You show people that failure isn’t the end, it’s an opportunity for redemption.

When people know they’re safe to fail, they stop leading from fear and start leading from faith.

Leaning Into Your Humanity

Another mentor once told me, “Lean in on the simple fact that you make mistakes. Let people see your shortcomings and unify around what makes you human.”

That advice stuck with me. Transparency isn’t weakness, it’s strength. When your team sees that you’re human, it reminds them that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. It draws people together and builds trust that unifies.

But that doesn’t mean leading alone. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that guardrails aren’t just boundaries, they’re people.

The areas where I’m weak are often the same areas where someone else on my team is strong. When I invite them into those spaces and allow them to rise up, where I fail it doesn’t just protect the mission, it multiplies it.

Letting others use their gifts to steady the road ahead is one of the most faith-filled things a leader can do. It says, “This isn’t about me. It’s about us, and ultimately, it’s about God.”

The Beauty in Failure

When you lead people and inevitably mess up, be intentional. Be sincere. Own it. Then give those affected the space to express how your actions impacted them. That’s where healing begins. Honesty, humility, and a shared desire to move forward together.

The beautiful truth is this: failure is actually good for a leader.

When handled with integrity, it deepens relationships, builds trust, and reminds everyone, including you, that leadership was never about being flawless. It’s about being faithful.

Faith in the Middle of the Mess

If you’re a leader struggling with the weight of your own imperfection, remember this:

God doesn’t call you to be perfect. He calls you to be obedient.

He’s not looking for leaders who never stumble; He’s looking for those who will act justly, love mercy, and keep walking humbly with Him forward in faith surrounded by the team He gave them.

Because leadership isn’t about never messing up.

It’s about trusting that God’s grace, and the people He’s placed around you, are big enough to carry you through even the moments you wish you could undo.