“Repentance” Emerging as a Leadership “Superpower”
- Brainz Magazine
- Jul 16
- 7 min read
Written by Matthew Hutcheson, E.P.I.C.™ Philosophy
Matthew Hutcheson is well-known for having survived a politically motivated false allegation leading to his eventual incarceration. Now, Hutcheson and his wife advise law firms and organizations of all sizes on leadership and strategy. He is the author of the book Rapport, published in 2025, and the host of the E.P.I.C. podcast.
Repentance is often framed as a theological or moral act, but a broader, interdisciplinary examination reveals it to be a deeply human process involving psychological realignment, emotional duality, and existential return. In short, repentance has the potential to be the superpower of today’s CEO. Drawing on insights from accountancy, engineering, law, and philosophy, this article interrogates various frameworks of repentance, ultimately proposing that repentance is not transactional but transformational. Through etymological analysis and integration of Judeo-Christian scriptures, this essay reconceives repentance as a process of return to relational nearness, spiritual sabbath, and ontological renewal.
What exactly is repentance?
At a recent forum convened to explore the idea of repentance beyond religious boundaries, four professionals from divergent fields, a certified public accountant, an engineer, a lawyer, and a professor of philosophy, were asked, “What is repentance?” Their answers, though insightful, ultimately revealed the limitations of discipline-specific perspectives when faced with the layered and transformative nature of repentance.
The accountant’s ledger: Transactionalism
The accountant described repentance as a process of spiritual auditing: “You review your moral ledger, identify the misstatements, and file a correction. Sin is a liability, not to be erased but accounted for. Repentance is the journal entry where you debit guilt and credit grace. Clean books, clean conscience.”
This framing introduces clarity and order, but it imposes a binary structure on a profoundly fluid human experience. Sin cannot always be balanced by a corresponding act, and to reduce repentance to double-entry bookkeeping is to miss its deeper existential dimension. Human moral failure is not merely an error in calculation; it is often a rupture in being. Repentance, therefore, cannot be transactional.
The engineer’s system: Repentance as recalibration
The engineer proposed that repentance is a recalibration of the internal system to restore integrity. “When a system (you) misaligns from its design (virtue), errors occur; call those sins. Repentance is debugging your code.”
Though mechanically elegant, this view assumes that optimal moral performance is achievable through diagnostic and corrective feedback loops. But humans are not machines. We do not sin because of sensor drift; we sin because of will, weakness, and woundedness. Engineering logic lacks room for the paradox of remorse and joy coexisting.
The lawyer’s brief: Repentance as legal appeal
The lawyer stated, “Repentance is an appeal for clemency backed by demonstrable intent to reform. It acknowledges a breach and seeks mercy through sincere contrition and rehabilitation.”
While this model emphasizes accountability, it presupposes a courtroom dynamic that can trap repentance within procedural justice. One is left perpetually pleading. The heart of repentance is not avoidance of penalty but restoration of the relationship. It is possible, even essential, to experience joy while feeling remorse, a state that law rarely considers.
The philosopher’s light: Repentance as ontological realignment
The philosopher declared, “Repentance is the conscious realignment of the self with the moral order of the universe. It is an ontological pivot, a turning from the shadows of the cave toward the light.”
This is perhaps the closest articulation of the truth of repentance. It reframes repentance as existential courage, not merely moral regret. It requires humility, introspection, and the bravery to return to one’s “telos,” the highest good.
Remorse and joy: The paradox of transformation
True repentance allows for the simultaneous presence of remorse and joy. This duality signals a spiritually mature consciousness. Remorse is not despair but rather a vital sign: “Remorse is the soul’s acknowledgment that it longs to be clean.” And joy? Joy is the echo of return.
Scripture affirms this: “There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.” Joy affirms the possibility of transformation; remorse affirms the value of what was harmed. Together, they constitute emotional wholeness.
In The Philosophy of Hutch™, this intersection embodies two pillars of the E.P.I.C. framework:
Ethos: “What I did matters. I own it.”
Perspective: “Yet I am not that mistake. I can grow forward with joy.”
The etymology of repentance: Metanoia and Shuv
The term repentance derives from the Latin “re” (again) and “paenitere” (to cause to regret). This reflects a repeated sorrow.
But the deeper meanings emerge in sacred languages.
Greek: Metanoia = “change of mind” (meta = after, noia = mind).
Hebrew: Shuv = “to turn back,” “to return.”
Thus, “Turn ye, turn ye” and “repent ye, repent ye,” or just “repent ye” in holy writ have the same essential meaning, which is: “Be near me, be near me.”
Therefore, true repentance is internal transformation (Metanoia) and external return (Shuv). It is a drawing near to loved ones and a return to one’s highest self.
Rest as repentance: A sabbath for the soul
What if Jesus’ call to repent was never intended to be a summons to self-loathing, as it is often interpreted, but simply an invitation to accept nearness to Him? Anytime the word “repent” is used in holy writ, we might very well replace it with, “Be near me!“
"[Be near me], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Repentance is nearness. It is relational. It draws a man closer to his wife, to his children, to his God, to himself. It is also rest. This is the real meaning.
As recorded in holy writ, sin is labor. Jesus’ counter-invitation? “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.” Rest is sabbath. Thus, repentance is not a courtroom, an audit, or a machine recalibration. It is a sabbath for the soul.
The fullness of repentance is nearness
Repentance is not a transaction; it is a transformation. It is not a debit and credit; it is a return. It is not mere guilt; it is the grace of nearness. Repentance is the recalibration of heart and mind toward love, truth, and belonging. Belonging is nearness.
As Jesus said, “Draw near unto me, and I will draw near unto you.” In this drawing near, we find rest. In that rest, we find peace. And in that peace, we find joy. We can infer from Jesus’ statement that sin creates distance, and repentance closes the distance. We can also observe in our own behavior, and that of others, how sin induces “hiding,” which results in distance from those we love.
Repentance, rightly understood, is not the aftermath of sin; it is the beginning of coming home. And coming home means nearness. Repentance is drawing near to those you love, including God and humanity at large; a return to nearness.
Repentance as a leadership superpower, a return to one’s highest self
In conclusion, what does all this have to do with leadership?
Everything.
Leadership is not the art of control. It is the art of nearness and return. True leadership is not about merely correcting others, but about cultivating the conditions where people are safe enough, inspired enough, and loved enough to return to their best selves.
Repentance, in its purest form, is a return, a movement back toward integrity, wholeness, and relational alignment. It is the internal transformation that precedes external trust. This is precisely the journey of great leadership.
In the Philosophy of Hutch™, the E.P.I.C.™ leadership model outlines four essential pillars:
Ethos: Owning who you are, not hiding who you’ve been
Perspective: Seeing the situation not just from above, but from within
Influence: Cultivating trust, not control
Carry-on: Continuing the work of return, even when it’s hard
Repentance, therefore, is the leadership of the self. It is Ethos in action: I take responsibility. It is Perspective reclaimed: I am not that mistake, I am the one returning. It is Influence purified: “My example speaks louder than apology.” And it is Carry-On embodied: “I keep walking the path of light, even with a limp.”
Leaders who understand repentance become redemptive leaders. They do not shame failure; they steward growth. They do not weaponize guilt; they dignify the process of return. They recognize that just as a soul must turn again toward God, a team member must feel free to turn again toward the group, the goal, and the greater good, without fear.
In this way, repentance is not just theological; it is cultural. It is not just personal; it is organizational. And it is not merely remedial; it is visionary.
When leaders understand repentance, they stop punishing brokenness and start rebuilding wholeness by bringing others near. Leaders impel proximity.
Repentance is not about perfection. It is about proximity to God, to truth, and one another. The closer we draw to those things, the more powerful, peaceful, and transformative our leadership becomes. Although rarely thought of in this light, repentance may be leadership’s next “superpower.”
From true leadership springs true repentance, which is the pursuit of nearness and the embrace of return.
Read more from Matthew Hutcheson
Matthew Hutcheson, E.P.I.C.™ Philosophy
Matthew Hutcheson is a leader's leader. After years of working with elected officials in Washington, D.C. and powerful law firms around the world, he found himself in federal prison following a political dispute turned political attack. There, he developed a philosophy for overcoming trauma titled E.P.I.C.™ and helped over 200 inmates earn their GED's. Today, he provides leadership training to organizations on every continent and advises premier law firms on strategy. His mission: Help others to "defeat anything, triumph over everything, be limited by nothing, and emerge as an unstoppable force."
References:
Doctrine and Covenants, 34:6 (“Repent ye, repent ye”)
E.P.I.C. Leadership, Matthew Hutcheson, Ethos, Perspective, Influence, Carry-On
New Testament, Luke 15:7 (“Joy over one who repenteth”)
New Testament, Matthew 4:17 (“Repent ye”)
New Testament, Matthew 11:28 (“Come unto me and I will give you rest.”)
New Testament, Acts 3:19 (“Repent ye”)
Old Testament, Ezekiel 33:11 (“Turn ye, turn ye”)
The Book of Mormon, Jacob 2 (Sin is labor)
