No one asks leaders to be perfect. Which is good, because none of them are. Leaders are the primary big decision-makers for companies, and there’s no way they can be right all of the time.
Leaders face a lot of pressure.
They’ve got to keep the team focused. They’ve got to keep everyone moving forward, regularly hitting the company goals. They have a lot of things to keep tabs on, and it’s a constant juggling act.
But there is one sin they can’t be forgiven for.
When they do this, it’s the kiss of death. It sets off alarms and sends panic throughout the organization, especially among investors. Before, there was confidence, enthusiasm and pride. Now that’s replaced immediately with fear and doubt. What’s this thing they can never do?
A leader can never make excuses!
It implies he’s lost control. It implies he’s out of ideas. It implies he’s been asleep at the helm, not paying attention to danger signs. It implies he doesn’t know what he’s talking about or what to do next. When that happens, the company begins to unravel because everyone’s confidence in leadership is shattered.
People can forgive a lot.
They understand when mistakes are made. They can understand if surprising situations come up. They can understand if marketing campaigns fail or new products don’t hit sales marks. But they can’t forgive a leader who makes excuses and refuses to accept blame for failure. That’s going to be the same leader who is next trying to blame them for what went wrong. He’s going to be impossible to trust, and as a result, he wont’ be able to lead. That’s the unforgivable sin.
