Bishop says failure is 'a lesson, not a flaw'

JAMES GRIER HAS WRITTEN A NEW BOOK ON LEADERSHIP

- LEWIS CLARKE

LEADERSHIP is a fragile thing. It has the power to inspire and transform but can just as easily devastate when it fails.

For many, the collapse of leaders-especially those we trust the most brings a crisis of faith not only in institutions but sometimes in God Himself.

James Grier, Bishop of Plymouth and author of Normal Imperfect Heroes: The 'Failures' God Used to Teach Us About Leadership, doesn't shy away from these hard truths. Instead, he leans into them, arguing that failure isn't an anomaly in leadership-it's part of the process. More than that, it's something God actively works through.

"I never ever wanted to be a bishop," James admits, a trace of his Plymouth roots evident in his voice. "But God won me around purely because of my deep love for Plymouth." That deep love, paired with a long-standing passion for leadership, fuels his work today. And in his latest book, James tackles a subject that has only grown more urgent in recent years - how do we respond when those in positions of leadership let us down?

James' own leadership journey began early. Growing up in Tamerton Foliot, a small parish on the outskirts of Plymouth, he was given opportunities to lead and preach from the age of 15. "The vicar of my church let me lead at a young age," he says. "That really shaped me. It taught me that leadership is a privilege-but also a responsibility."

The reality of leadership failure, however, was something he would come to understand more deeply with time. One of the most significant examples, he shares, was his experience with Soul Survivor, a major Christian youth festival that influenced thousands of young people across the UK.