The following was shared with future Living Waters Clergy on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026
The Theology According to Lee Iacocca: Leadership, the Courage to Get It Wrong, and the Responsibility to Make It Right
Beloved Colleagues,
I have always been built a little differently. At 10 years old, I was the kid sitting inside watching election returns instead of being outside playing. Sunday evenings meant 60 Minutes, and I still remember watching Walter Cronkite. I was fascinated by politics, leadership, current events, the church, and the people who shaped the world around us.
Even then, I was curious about how the world worked, who made decisions, what influenced those decisions, and how leadership could change the course of people’s lives. Looking back, perhaps the seeds of who I am today were being planted long before I understood what they might become.
As a teenager, I remember watching a television segment featuring Lee Iacocca, the legendary automobile executive. The subject was his approach to hiring (attracting) good people. The interview suggested that part of Iacocca’s success in the automobile industry was his ability to identify, recruit, and surround himself with talented people. But what stayed with me wasn’t simply his ability to hire (attract). It was what he said about getting it wrong.
Iacocca acknowledged that he didn’t get it right 100 percent of the time. He understood that sometimes you make the wrong hire. But what distinguished him was his willingness to recognize the mistake, own it, make the necessary correction, and move forward. He didn’t spend all his time defending a bad decision. He took responsibility for it and corrected course. That has stayed with me for decades. I believe there is a theology in that lesson. As clergy and laity, we have to be willing to do the same thing.
I’ve led many searches throughout my ministry: in the local church, within our wider denominational expression, and in my other life (LOL) as a political consultant. I understand that hiring and selecting people is among the most consequential responsibilities entrusted to leadership.
This fall I have been leading searches for our Region, and I anticipate leading several more in the years ahead.
I take these responsibilities seriously because people matter. Culture matters. The mission matters. And the decisions we make about who sits at the table, who carries the vision, and who helps lead the work have consequences far beyond the hiring process itself.
But here’s something I’ve learned: leadership is not about pretending you always get it right. It is about what you do when you discover that you didn’t.
There is something deeply theological about the willingness to acknowledge when we have missed the mark. We preach grace, forgiveness, reconciliation, and transformation. We remind congregations that confession is not the end of the story. It is often the beginning of something new.
Yet leadership requires more than good intentions and strong convictions. It requires the willingness to look honestly at ourselves, acknowledge when we have missed the mark, and take responsibility for the impact of our decisions. The measure of leadership is not found in our ability to defend every decision, but in our willingness to learn, grow, and make things right when we recognize we have gotten something wrong.
I don’t expect to get every decision right. I certainly hope I do. But if I get it wrong, I will acknowledge it. I will apologize. I will take responsibility. And I will make the necessary correction.
That’s not weakness. That’s leadership.
Questions for Reflection
So, beloved colleagues, I leave us with three questions, and not simply for the people we lead, but for those of us entrusted with leadership.
- When was the last time you recognized that a leadership decision you made was wrong? Did you have the courage to acknowledge it, own it, and make the necessary correction, or did you spend more time defending the decision than addressing its consequences?
- Are we more committed to being right, or to doing what is right? What might change in our leadership, our relationships, and our institutions if we were willing to put accountability ahead of saving face?
- When our decisions affect other people’s lives, ministries, and livelihoods, what does taking responsibility actually look like? Are we willing to apologize, change direction, and make things right, even when doing so is uncomfortable?
Perhaps that’s the theology according to Lee Iacocca. We don’t have to be right every time. But we do have to be responsible every time.
Amen. Asé.
Rev. Dr. William E. Crowder, Jr.