Failure is inevitable in leadership. Every leader will face moments of defeat that are critical to his or her growth. Some leaders let failure overcome them rather than learning from their experiences.

I’ve often heard leaders share the following misconceptions when facing failure:

• Failure will define my leadership.
• Vulnerability shows my weaknesses.
• Leaders have to be perfect — or at least act like they have everything together.
• Failure is avoidable.

Such thoughts can diminish a leader’s influence and sabotage a team’s future. Many of Paul’s letters provide guidance on how leaders can confront their mistakes. Drawing from these texts, here are five healthy ways to approach failure:

1. Openly acknowledge your mistakes. Your team will notice when you fail. More importantly, they will watch how you respond. Do you admit it when you have failed? Or do you try to pin it on someone or something else? Owning up to your mistakes instead of passing the blame goes a long way toward rebuilding trust. It also provides a positive example for others to follow.

Every leader should embrace humility. In 2 Corinthians 12:10, Paul says, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Failure can show others the strength of Christ in your life.

2. Realize that failure is an integral part of the change process. If you want to grow, you have to be willing to take some risks and try new things. When failure happens — and it will — the skilled and resilient leader recognizes it as an opportunity for learning and improving.

Failure is not only inevitable with change, but it’s also integrally connected to its success. Maybe there are gaps in the process you didn’t recognize before. These are the moments that can define you as a leader. Trials and suffering can build character (Romans 5:3–5).

3. Reflect on what happened. To prevent a similar failure from happening in the future, reflect on what led to the situation you are in. Evaluating what happened can help you identify pitfalls to avoid in the future and steps you can take to accomplish your goal.

Failure can show others the strength of Christ
in your life.

At the end of each day, I spend a few minutes reflecting on what decisions I made — considering what worked and didn’t work. I then write down what actions I can take to become a better leader.

You don’t want to hold failures over yourself or others. Instead, remember how far God has brought you and them. Hold onto His grace and faithfulness through every obstacle you encounter.

In 1 Timothy 1:16–17, Paul writes, “I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”

4. Don’t let failure distract you from the end goal. Facing failure may make you want to scratch everything and start from the beginning. Although you need to acknowledge your mistake, you cannot allow it to keep you from accomplishing your goals. You don’t have to retrace all your steps or beat yourself up. Prayerfully make a plan of action to recover, and then move forward.

Philippians 3:13–14 says, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

The goal is to follow Christ and guide others to Him. Leaders who become bogged down in their mistakes can lose sight of what matters for eternity.

5. Rebuild your team’s confidence. Failure can disrupt your team’s confidence. Instead of lingering in defeat, move forward with positivity and help them do the same. Your team already knows what went wrong. They need a leader who will encourage them and remain committed to their success, even through difficult times.

Mistakes can sometimes lead to mistrust within your team. In Ephesians 4:31–32, Paul reminds us of the importance of unity within the body of Christ: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Make sure your actions as a leader foster unity and forgiveness.

Healthy leaders create a space where individuals have the freedom to take risks and learn from their failures — and they do the same for themselves. Leaders who are afraid of failure are stagnant in their influence and do not allow their teams to reach their full potential.

However, it’s important that teams and leaders offer mutual respect and grace so everyone can learn from failures.

Remember that leadership is a continual process. Don’t be afraid to fail. Instead, take time to learn from your mistakes.