"Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." (Mahatma Gandhi)

I was listening to a podcast yesterday while out on a (very slow) run, and it mentioned how those who are wrongly imprisoned can often remain captive within their own mind even after release from incarceration. It is only once they have forgiven their captors, and those demons are allowed to go, that they are truly freed.

It got me thinking.

We have all been wronged in business - whether by suppliers, customers, colleagues or, frequently, our boss - and often those individuals who caused our angst continue to live rent-free in our minds for many years afterwards. The anger, the disappointment, the resentment all remain long after the direct consequences of the act have disappeared.

However, they did not make a mistake deliberately, nobody ever made a bad decision on purpose, and the hurt they caused you was surely not designed? So what we should do, perhaps, is forgive them? Forgive their unprofessional manner, their lack of courtesy, their dull imagination, their poor emotional intelligence, their missing professional integrity, or their inability to espouse the values we live up to, and trust that they will improve, that they will learn from their actions, and be better in the future when dealing with other people.

I have been fortunate enough to work for, and alongside, some of the best, authentic, most inspirational, uplifting, experienced, articulate, and compassionate leaders in the country, and I have learned a great deal from them. But I have also worked for, and alongside, some at the other end of the leadership range. And I would like to think I have also learned from them. Learned to leave the ego at the door, learned how not to communicate, learned how not to treat colleagues and customers, and learned how important it is to demonstrate strong values. And now I should forgive their failings and move on knowing that I am better because of them, not despite them. [But no matter how much I try, I shall always keep a special place for some of the eejits!]

#leadership