Any work project needs a strong clear sense of vision and direction to be successful so that whatever mishaps occured can be absorbed in the strength of that vision. It works kind of like the old adage "the unity of the cause erases all flaws."
In looking at one of my work groups, I was surprised to see how much a role forgiveness had in making it all work. Forgiveness added the oil to the mix. It made all the parts of the project hum. Humility also was important, with humility kind of opening the door to humor and apology.
I was in one work group in which all four of us had distinctive functions with counterparts we were supervising in the field. In some cases, we had the same person in the field doing two or more functions and thus reporting to two different people in our work group.
The need for collaboration is important for any project to work. And so it was with ours.
We were all ( in the office and in the field) very clear on the vision. But there were times when I, or someone else, either forgot to do a needed task, or did someone else’s task. It was those times, that I greatly appreciated the freedom to address these mishaps in a way that felt safe, and not threatening. I forgave my fellow workers as they would forgive me. In humilty, we recognized that what we wanted to accomplish was still in front of our thoughts and we could move forward and make any needed adjustments.
In addition, the work that we were doing was pioneering work. It had never been done before. There were a lot of unknowns as we moved forward. What moves me more than words can say is the ability to forgive that came from all of us. And there was ample opportunity for that as some of the steps were delayed, postponed, questionable or needed to be changed. We buoyed ourselves up with gratitude for the good achieved and heart felt appreciation for the talents and the incredible amounts of time each one of us brought to the project.
It is interesting to note Mary Baker Eddy's request for each of the members of The Mother Church that she gives in her Church Manual. Surprisingly, this is good counsel for anyone involved in a group endeavor:
A Rule for Motives and Acts (Church Manual p.40)
Neither animosity nor mere personal attachment should impel the motives or acts of the members of The Mother Church. In Science, divine Love alone governs man; and a Christian Scientist reflects the sweet amenities of Love, in rebuking sin, in true
brotherliness, charitableness, and forgiveness.
With this group, I felt free to explore new methods and means of doing things. Not that I felt that if I screwed up I could just be forgiven and then go and do something foolish again! But this kind and adventurous atmosphere removed a subtle sense of being judged and criticized behind one’s back. That type of thinking can paralyze action.
In an atmosphere of love, forgiveness and good-hearted give and take, we were able to accomplish some downright wonderful stuff. Forgiveness added grace to our endeavors and kept the vision for our work in sharp focus.
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