Page 95 | Volume 1 | The Leadership Journal of Dallas Baptist University

95 I try to understand both perspectives … what I often find while they both have positive [benefits] … they both have the same motivation. It is just that they differ in their approach and so they take offense and they get frustrated from it. You basically have the same goal. All the leaders did not allow interpersonal conflict to continue to grow. One of the leaders took the liberty to caution a co-worker who was heading into a possible conflict situation. He was honest with this employee, “You are your own person. But your actions are being noticed. And you might want to be aware that they are being noticed negatively.” This employee listened and changed her behavior. Theme three: The benefits an organization reaps when leaders choose forgiveness are evident and expressed. The most significant theme that emerged were the benefits to their company when leaders practiced forgiveness. One of the leaders mentioned that forgiveness in organizations creates a culture where people help each other. Some of the leaders expressed that forgiveness opened the door for a teaching experience, and the best time to teach forgiveness is when mistakes happen. Leaders also observed that forgiveness created loyalty in team members. Participant X said, “[There is] deeper engagement in work … basically they feel like it is a safe place.” This allowed the team to be innovative and take more risks. Another leader, participant Q, mentioned that forgiveness brought harmony to the workplace. It taught the team that there was no ill-will. He noted that ill-will was inversely proportional to productivity: the more the ill-will, the less the productivity. Therefore, when leaders chose to forgive, they had a direct impact on the company’s bottom line. Leaders also observed that forgiveness brought joy to the workplace. Sometimes, forgiveness inspired better outcomes. Forgiveness taught team members to examine motives and not look at actions. It created empathy. It gave team members the skills to ask questions. Forgiveness bridged the gap between expectations and motivations. THE ROLE OF FORGIVENESS IN LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL WELL-BEING

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