Make Contingency Plans

A servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. Luke 12:47-48

Part of our charm as human beings is our innate ability to mess things up. We lie, cheat, steal, make mistakes, and forget things.

People will let us down—that’s a constant. The variable is how we deal with it. In this passage, Jesus provides some advice on human frailty.

Set aside time to preplan your responses to various manifestations of people’s humanity. Think through what you will do when someone steals from or cheats you. Consider how you will handle a trusted employee who forgets to complete a critical task.

I’m not suggesting that you plan to be let down. Instead, focus on how you might respond to various situations.

You have contingency plans for mechanical breakdowns. It makes sense to have a Plan B that covers inevitable disappointments from the human beings on your team.