By Sean Wolfington

No, this is not an endorsement for some instant weight-loss gimmick.

I guess you could say it is an exercise plan to help shed some weight — dead weight.

I think we have all been spurned, at one time or another, by someone we know or work with, and are guilty of picking up that chip and placing it squarely upon our shoulder. If you have every carried “a chip on the shoulder” then you know the extra weight it brings to your life. That “chip,” if left unattended, will soon grow and become an enormous burden to carry, like dead weight.

In recent months, we focused on building self-worth in those individuals whom we have offended by acknowledging the error of our ways and asking for forgiveness. I mentioned that the words “Will you forgive me?” were some of the most difficult words to speak sincerely because, in doing so, we must openly expose our own weaknesses. But, how are we doing in reciprocating that virtue when we are the one being offended?

Forgiveness is powerful. Granting the gift of forgiveness to someone who has harmed you is the greatest gift you can extend. In the humble realization of our own flaws and weaknesses, forgiveness extended to another person liberates that individual from the effects of his/her own flawed humanity and instills the understanding that one is worthy of love, hope, and the possibility of new beginnings. It will also benefit yourself by removing the tremendous weight from your own shoulder in the process.

In a business where colleagues freely extend and receive forgiveness, there you will find an environment that is free of callous treatment of individuals, which will result in the promotion of dignity and respect within the organization.

Leaders who incorporate the virtue of forgiveness into the management process and the core values of their organization will inevitably experience the results through the impact that it makes on the performance of colleagues. In a business where colleagues freely extend and receive forgiveness, there you will find an environment that is free of callous treatment of individuals, which will result in the promotion of dignity and respect within the organization. Forgiveness also serves to bridge the organization’s vision and mission among employees which provides an experience of unity, thereby enhancing performance. Perhaps more importantly, if forgiveness is shared as a core value of management, it will serve to build and strengthen relationships within the organization, which will trickle down into the community and customer service relationships.

May we all focus less on what is happening to us, and instead reflect on what is happening in us.

Sean Wolfington is the general manager of BZResults.com, an ADP Company. He can be contacted at 866.802.5753, or by e-mail at swolfington@autosuccessonline.com.