Today I organized a Health & Dental campaign for the students in my university. The response was not good due to the reason we did not promote the event well. We only managed to promote it last minute which was last week and today is the event. In fact I was too busy to worry about my exam than the event. I was not free when the students (my team members) were busy with promotion of the event. At the end, not many students turned up as expected for the event. The doctor who came was a bit disappointed with the turn out of the students. He was expecting a bigger crowd as he was giving a teen pregnancy talk which is very much important in our life nowadays. But not many turn up.
After today's event, I apologize to the team leader (a student) for not able to do for the members. I was too busy juggling my studies and work that I did not have the time to oversee the whole event. I came to learn two things concerning leadership. First all, I came to learn that admitting your failure of not becoming a good leader to your team member is not an embarrassment. A lot of people think that to be a leader is not to admit your failure. That is when people would look up unto you and perhaps make you as a role model. They might have confidence in the event and in you, and that is good for the event. Well I don't know but I do think otherwise. I believe that admitting your failure to your committee members might makes you a stronger person. Perhaps the members might look down on you or they might not. But then think about it. Admitting your failures in life to your subordinates or team members will earn their respect on you. Not to say it is important to have the respect but then it is important to own up to your failure of achieving something. I believe that is a part of being living in integrity life. Perhaps not all things you admit but I believe as far as I am concerned, whatever failure or things I had done wrongly I should admit and apologize. Even to your own subordinates.
I respect the world leaders like the Japanese Prime Minister and some other leaders who had the guts to actually apologize to the world for what their predecessor had done wrong even though they do nothing wrong. They apologize on their predecessor's behalf and that shows a man of integrity. I am sure a lot of us who had read books concerning parent should own up for their mistakes to their children so that their children would live in integrity like them. To be honest, I salute those parent who actually admit their mistakes in life to even their own children. We do not know what the other parties would think when we apologize but I am sure of God would think if we apologize and admit our mistakes to our peers, subordinates, children etc etc. I am sure that, that is what God would want us to do. To admit that we are not perfect and we are just like the world, we are nobody and that we are saved because God loved us. We are not saved because we do a lot of work but we are saved because we follow Jesus' example.
Jesus does not come to save the proud but He comes to save the weak. We are all weak in flesh and we are not strong and proud.
But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. Psalms 37:11
The meek here means for me is someone who are not proud person, someone who live in a simple life and perhaps in a humble lifestyle. I basically do not know how to describe the word "meek" but then it is a life that Jesus said we all should have. Otherwise it would not be stated in the famous Beatitudes during Jesus' teaching in the Sermon of Mount.
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Mind you. This is a famous teaching of Jesus. Anyway the link to meaning of meek can be found here.
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/PERSONAL/k/237/The-Fruit-of-Spirit-Meekness.htm
Please take your time to read all these meanings and verses. Anyway my point of view is apologizing and admitting your failure to achieve something is not a shame to your subordinates or even your child. Apologizing and admitting your failure shows that you are mature in handling your matters. Whether your children or even your subordinates could accept that or not is another different story. But for our part of being apologizing and admitting failures publicly it took guts to do so. A lot of people might find it weird or embarrassed you because you apologized and admitting failure. Do remember this. They are just a bunch of immature individuals who think selfishly of themselves and someone who have no sense of love for people. As for me, admitting your failure is hard. What more apologizing. But then when you do this, do it for God and not for men. For God will always be with you and men would not be with you forever. Amen? =)
