Never has my capacity for forgiveness been as stringently tried and tested as it has in business. No doubt, the love of money brings out the worst in people.
Forgiveness is one of the central tenets of our Christian faith. God has forgiven us. Jesus death and resurrection purchased that forgiveness. And he calls us to forgive others as he forgave us.
As a believer since my mid teens, I have experienced bullying, hurt, disappointment, and the pain of broken promises. But only in business has my capacity to forgive been strained to breaking-point.
I have tried my level best to walk in forgiveness throughout my life. In truth, there have been many times where God’s grace carried me for a period when I was unable to show the forgiveness I should. For that I am grateful and can say that, in time, I came to a place where I could let the pain and anger go.
In business, your suppliers will take advantage of you. Your clients will refuse to pay you just because they don’t want to. Your investors will squeeze you. Your business partners will cheat you and abuse your trust. And your employees will steal from you. If you plan to start a business of your own, be prepared; your ability to forgive will be tested to the very end of its limits.
What lessons have I learned from running my own business? Many – but I will lead with the most important. Forgive! When someone abuses your trust to gain at your financial expense, it’s hard but you have to let it go. There are many reasons for this.
First and foremost, it is what God requires of us. Second, life is too short to carry the weight of resentment for every penny someone ever stole from you. Your energy is far better spent on building your future than dwelling on past hurts and losses. Forgiveness is as liberating for the one forgiving as it is for the one being forgiven. In many cases, more so.
Should we learn from those bad experiences? Absolutely. I have formulated a number of principles over time. These principles guide my interaction with clients, suppliers, employees and business partners. Walking in forgiveness does not mean you have to be a push-over.
For instance, one of my businesses, in the self-catering hospitality sector, was at constant risk of non-payment. The bottom line was this; if a client had not paid before taking occupation of an apartment, it was unlikely that I would ever receive any money from them. So I implemented a simple rule. Payment up-front or no access.
No variations or exceptions. If a customer is already in and wants to extend their stay, they either pay for the extension before their original check-out date or they have to vacate on the original check-out.
Many long-standing clients, who stay in my apartments regularly, might call me up on a Friday and ask if they can book another week starting on the following Monday. When Saturday comes and no money is forthcoming they assure me that they will pay during the course of the following week.
You might assume this is okay on the basis of the long-standing relationship. The customer has used the apartment regularly for eight to twelve weeks and payment has never been a problem before. You would be wrong. The last check always bounces.
Rather than manufacture yet another opportunity to walk in forgiveness, I always say the same thing. ‘I’m truly sorry, Mr. X. We have simply had too many clients check out without paying in the past so we have a strict up-front payment policy. I really need to process payment today or we will be forced to cancel your booking.’
Yes, I realise this can be distressing for the honest customers who would never dream of cheating you but experience has taught me that trust is too easily abused.
Whenever I lose money through another person’s blatant dishonesty, I take stock. I think about what I could have done differently to prevent the theft in the first place. I then implement that as a new principle that guides all my interactions with future clients. After that, I choose to forgive and let the matter go. I chalk up the financial loss as school fees; the price I paid to learn a valuable lesson in business.