Forgiveness is one of the deepest ways to build trust. When two people who have been in conflict are reconciled, there is often an incredible sense of togetherness. This applies in the private relationship as well as professionally in the workplace.

Mother Theresa interpreted it in her own simple way:
“Forgiveness is a decision, not a feeling, because when we forgive,
if we no longer feel the offense, we no longer feel anger.
Forgive, forgive, you want your soul at peace and want the one who offended you”.

One of the most important books with texts about forgiveness is the Bible. It is full of quotes that illustrate this relationship. Throughout the Old Testament, there are reams of stories about how God forgives the people of Israel. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ becomes the very symbol of forgiveness, as he sacrifices his own life to forgive the whole world. It finds its explosion in what Jesus says when he hangs on the cross, mocked, whipped and hated. Just before he exhales (!), he says: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”.
The entire Christian self-understanding and thus the last 1000 years of European history is characterized by the Christian doctrine of reconciliation. Christian ethics permeated Danish society with the main headline from the Sermon on the Mount: “Love your neighbor as yourself”. But there are not many people today who take the rest of the speech seriously. What about the words: “Love your enemies and bless those who persecute you”? Countless examples and stories from world history have shown that ultimate trust is only achieved through complete forgiveness. Eg. through stories from Holocaust victims who forgave their KZ captors. Forgiveness is often incomprehensible because it is unlikely. It shouldn’t happen. But that is exactly why it inspires new confidence.

But full forgiveness requires an apology. It often comes when people are cornered. Think of ex-president Bill Clinton, ex-leader of political parties, ex-cyclist Bjarne Riis, Armstrong and several “exes”. It’s about integrity.
It is only when I acknowledge my mistakes to my employees, and sometimes even celebrate that I have failed, that I break the ice so that they dare to fail and acknowledge their mistakes. Only then does the innovation and development happen, and only then can we show each other transparent and honest trust.
Within management, it was not until 2018 that the first book on intuition and management came out. All this emotion, intuition and humility did not fit into a managerial man’s world. The “hysterical female virtues” have been removed from science. Fortunately, we think much more holistically about management now, and even Harvard Business has written articles on “When should a manager apologize – and when not” and “The organizational apology“. A leader is not only responsible for his own, but also for the behavior and misdeeds of his followers!