Is forgiveness an overlooked leadership skill?

If you’re like me – You believe in the faith-based and health-based reasons to practice forgiveness.

But have you ever considered that forgiveness might be an important leadership skill?

In the book Picking Cotton, two people share their true story:

  • They are both 23.
  • She’s white, a senior in college with a 4.0 and looking forward to starting her career, marrying her boyfriend and having a family.
  • He is a person of color, working, and has a history of making some unwise choices.

One night she is at home alone and a man breaks into her apartment and rapes her.Picking Cotton

She is able to escape and eventually identifies this man as her rapist.

He insists that she is mistaken.

She is convinced that her memory is correct and makes a strong witness for the prosecution.

He is convicted and goes to prison for 11 years. (In spite of the fact that he continually says he is innocent, in spite of the fact that he meets the man in prison that actually committed the crime, and in spite of the fact that his blood type does not match the blood type found at the scene.)

I wanted to say yes, but I don’t trust you…

Once upon a time, I worked with someone that had some great skills even though they made a lot of choices that I didn’t like, respect or trust.  (This person was smart, witty, and could be really fun, but repeatedly lied and manipulated and bullied others to get what they wanted.)

Years after we worked together, that person sent me an invitation to connect on LinkedIn.

  • If some time had not passed, I would have declined it instantly and been filled with tons of negative emotions as I did it.

When worlds collide… Important dialogs can begin if we let them

One of the parts of expat life that I looked forward to the most is living on a compound with people from all over the world.  …People of diverse races and religions and values and personal histories living next to each other as neighbors…

When Worlds Collide, Important Dialogs Can Begin If We Let Them

Last week  I shared a post with my friends – including some of my expat neighbors, about the people from Iran that were arrested after they recorded their own “Happy” YouTube Video.

I shared it because I’ve been really caught up in the news in the past few weeks:

  • News of mass abductions.
  • News of a death sentence for a woman who married outside of her absent father’s faith, that will be executed once her baby is weened.
  • News of others that have been arrested, beaten and jailed because of a stand they have taken.

I shared it because the longer I live as an expat in a land that operates in many of the same ways as Iran, the more I sense a silent pressure building between our little trips outside of this country.