"I take full responsibility for that!"



More and more you hear leaders making this statement. After some fiasco they have learned to go on TV and say, "I take full responsibility for this"! What does it mean? Apparently nothing! Historically, Japanese leaders who took full responsibility for a mistake on their watch either resigned immediately or fell on their sword. That is a picture of taking full responsibility for a problem for which they are truly responsible. In the movie Wall Street, a broker who made a mistake and cost the company money was told by his boss, "this is coming out of your check". That is taking full responsibility. With all the madness of the BP oil spill and with all their troubles and PR problems, at least they are putting out billions of dollars in an effort to take full responsibility.



As leaders, we need to truly take full responsibility for our actions. Certainly forgiveness is ours in Christ. However, forgiveness is not the end of the matter as leaders. We must either resign from our leadership post and allow someone else to maneuver the group or company to a safer harbor or we need to provide for reconciliation as well as restitution for all losses on our watch. Reconciliation will always cost us something. If reconciliation does not cost us personally, it is not true reconciliation.



Restoration comes to failure when the one who failed acknowledges their error, they repent and turn from the error, they make restitution for their failure and have a willingness to embrace their mistake as a building foundation for a new day of success.