Successful leaders differ in how they communicate, influence others, make decisions, manage pressure, and set boundaries. But most share one important trait: they experienced failures.

What do successful leaders have in common? They are resilient, persistent, and they treat failure as information, not identity. Crawford Loritts, writing on Christian leadership in his book titled Leadership as an Identity, adds that great leaders often experience being “broken”—a humbling realization that they need God’s help to accomplish meaningful work.

Here are five examples of leaders whose failures pushed them toward faith:

• Abraham Lincoln — After losing his postmaster job and six elections, leaned more deeply into spirituality and a sense of divine purpose.
• Thomas Edison — Despite major business failures, often spoke of a higher order guiding discovery.
• Oprah Winfrey — Fired from her early TV news job, has said her faith played a significant role in her resilience.
• Lee Iacocca — After being fired by Henry Ford II, turned to prayer and reflection before leading Chrysler’s historic turnaround.
• Nelson Mandela — During 27 years in prison, drew heavily on spiritual writings to sustain hope.

Failures humble many successful leaders, faith steadies them and resilience carries them forward.