Extending Grace to Others at Work
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Extending Grace
Long story short: humans are imperfect.
It’s such a human thing to make mistakes. People can be very quick to pounce on others when they mess up, but in this lack of grace we lose trust, and the mutual respect and understanding that connects us as human beings.
“We are flawed creatures, all of us. Some of us think that means we should fix our flaws. But get rid of my flaws and there would be no one left.”
To be human is to be flawed, to mess up, and to try again. In order to have great relationships with other humans, extend grace to them and give them space to be imperfect.
Extending grace to each other is an earmark of healthy teams and relationships. It’s something you can personally adopt as an intention as you move through the world and think about how you react and respond when other people stumble.
It can be hard to unlearn the impulse to pounce on people when they make a mistake, but it will serve you well at work and in all of your relationships to unlearn that.
Whether or not they know they made a mistake, you know they made one. You have the opportunity in that moment to extend that person some grace without calling them out or making them feel ashamed.
So how do you correct a mistake while extending grace?
People often become immediately defensive when they feel ridiculed or called out, especially in front of others. The best method of addressing when someone has made a mistake is almost always in private.
“When we don’t extend grace to others, we communicate to them that we expect perfection — which is not only wildly unrealistic: it also fosters an environment of fear and shame in which folks are too scared to admit when they’ve made a mistake or need help.”
Obviously, there are varying degrees of severity when it comes to mistakes, and not all mess-ups are to be treated equal. But it’s important to remember the humanity of the person on the other side of that error and see them as a whole being, not just the mistake they’ve made.
When we don’t extend grace to others, we communicate to them that we expect perfection — which is not only wildly unrealistic: it also fosters an environment of fear and shame in which folks are too scared to admit when they’ve made a mistake or need help.
Be gentle, be kind, and be humble. You are not perfect either.
Understanding and admitting that goes a long way in building trust, stronger relationships, allowing people to imperfectly show up, and be vulnerable when needed.
No one should be constantly worried about messing up — it happens to every human being throughout our lives. Seize the chance to extend grace to those around you and you will start to see how your relationships shift when imperfection is acknowledged with care and understanding.
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Healthy Teams All Have This In Common
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop
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