NDEJJE UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND

MANAGEMENT

NAME : WAGUTI. JUNIOR RICHARDS

REG NO : 20/2/330/W/775

COURSE UNIT : CHRISTIAN ETHICS 11

FACILITATOR : REV. HENRY MAJAWALA

YEAR : ONE

SEMESTER : TWO

QUESTION

1. Trace the leadership of these Ibrahim, Joseph Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Nehemiah
and Jesus among other biblical leaders. Discus their leadership and clearly list down the
lessons you get from them for the leadership in the 21st century.
2. Try to study at list three of the familiar leaders an organization close to you. List down at
least eight of their respective characteristics of their leadership and which kind of
leadership style does each one of them exercise
3. Observe a leader in one of the named organizations around you and find out how he or
she adjusts to situations. Assess his or her effectiveness
Christian Ethics. is the study of good and evil, right and wrong. Biblical Christian ethics is
inseparable from theology because it is grounded in the character of God.
A leader is defined as a person or thing that holds a dominant or superior position within its
field, and is able to exercise a high degree of control or influence over others.

A leader is somebody whom people follow. A leader has authority. For people to accept a
leader, his or her leadership must therefore be legitimate.

THE LEAERSHIP OF ABARAHAM

Abraham has been highly regarded by adherents of three of the world’s largest faith
traditions including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Indeed, Abraham is still thought of as
the original patriarch of those faith traditions and thus stands as an example of faith and
leadership to nearly three billion people around the globe. This article discusses leadership
based on biblical principles by looking at lessons from Abraham’s life.

Abraham’s Early Life

According to the biblical accounts of his life, Abraham grew up in Ur of Chaldea - a

precursor to the Babylonian civilization and empire located in present day Iraq before
the Common Era. Sometime during his early years, Abraham (originally named
Abram) was chosen and called by God to go to a land he had never seen
beforehand at which place God would bless him and raise up his descendants to
bless the whole world.

The story of the Hebrews starts with Abraham, a simple clan chief who believed in a single
God. Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees and became "the father of a multitude of
nations" (Genesis 17:5). Abraham sowed the seeds that helped destroy paganism,
planted the roots for the three major monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam), and permanently changed the world with the ideas of monotheism, justice, and
compassion. At least one-half of today’s world has been influenced by Abraham’s vision. It
is not surprising that Pope John Paul II has expressed strong interest in visiting Ur (in
Iraq), the birthplace of Abraham. What characteristics did Abraham possess that made him
so capable as a leader? We will see that Abraham possessed the traits inherent in
transformational leaders.
According to Davis unexpected resource for thinking about leadership
may be found in the man three faiths call “father Abraham.” Ellen F.
Davis of Duke Divinity School describes Abram’s calling in chapter 12
of Genesis as part of a pattern throughout the book. God takes
initiative (say, in creation). God enlists human partnership (Adam and
Eve). Humanity interrupts the relationship of harmony with God and
creation (the unpleasantness with the apple). God punishes (exile,
flaming sword, all that). And God begins a new initiative (Noah,
Abraham and ad infinitum to today).

To Davis, Abraham acts as a leader in three moments in the story of

Genesis: his blessings, his intercession on behalf of Sodom and
Gomorrah, and his willingness to sacrifice his son.
First, Abraham receives God’s blessings. And how. God dumps
blessing on Abram like he dumped rain on the earth in the time of
Noah. Five times in Genesis 12:2-3 God reiterates his blessing of the
newly minted patriarch. Davis’s translation: “And I will make you into a
big nation, and I will bless you and make your name big -- and be a
blessing! And I will bless the-ones-blessing-you and the on-reviling
you I will curse, and through you all the families of the fertile soil shall
experience blessing.”
Earlier, God had pronounced blessings five times in Genesis -- of the
sea and sky creatures (1:22), of humans (1:28), of the Sabbath (2:3),
of Noah and his family (9:1) and of Shem (9:26). Now these five
blessings are called to mind and summed up in the five-fold blessing
of Abraham. Before, God sought to work through all of humanity, but
now God has narrowed the divine focus to one family, through whom
to bless all others. It is like a new creation.
The second of these five blessings of Abraham in 12:2-3, Davis says,
is often mistranslated, as in the NRSV’s “so that you may be a
blessing.” Davis, though, translates it in the imperative: “be a
blessing!” This is a command to bless others -- as leaders are called
to do. Abraham is, Davis daringly glosses, “blessing incarnate.” He is
the “prism” through which others will have blessing alight upon them.
He is to be a “channel” through whom God promises to bless all the
others.
Blessing, or by analogy, leadership, is never a property for one person
to possess for herself. Like manna, it goes bad if you keep it
overnight. It is only given in order to be given away, doled out, in
unimaginable excess, like oil running down Aaron’s beard or leftover
loaves and fishes at Jesus’ picnic.
Second, Abraham is a leader who, in Davis’s words, “sticks his neck
out for his people.” Before God descends to destroy Sodom, he
decides to let Abraham in on his plan for punishment. “For I have
come to know him,” God says. “Am I to conceal from Abraham what I
am about to do?” (18:19, 18:17) God knows Abraham as Adam knew
Eve (4:1), or as political allies bound by treaty know one another as
trusted friends. (Isaiah 41:8 and 2 Chronicles 20:7) Abraham is the
first human to have achieved this sort of intimate friendship with God.
What will he do with it?
He will advocate with God on behalf of others. Abraham boldly stands
up to God’s plan: “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the
wicked? Suppose there are 50 righteous within the city . . . will you not
forgive it for the 50 righteous who are in it?”
The setting is a Middle Eastern market, and “Abraham is a good
bargainer,” Davis says. He manages to wrestle God down to the point
where God would spare the cities if 10 righteous people can be found
in them. It is not Abraham’s fault that 10 such people cannot be found.
This sort of advocacy with God, standing in the breach with the divine
and challenging a plan to bring destruction, will continue as a hallmark
of Israel’s leadership throughout the Bible. Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel
and others will plead not for a pagan city, but for Israel to be spared,
by calling God’s own justice into question and pleading for divine
mercy.
For Christians this risky advocacy has its culmination on Christ’s
cross: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Leadership
sticks its neck out for others. It dares to approach God’s dangerous
but merciful throne to ask grace for others. And it holds God’s
promises up and demands an answer, like a bargainer in the bazaar.
Third, leadership recognizes that the cost of following this God is, in
the words of T.S. Eliot, “not less than everything.” Abraham has his
own Calvary experience on Mt. Moriah in Genesis 22. The demand to
sacrifice Isaac has prompted eloquent artistic representations from
Kierkegaard’s existential angst to Rembrandt’s etchings and
paintings. How could it not? Listen to God’s repetition of who he
means to be sacrificed of the command in 22:2: “Take your son, your
only son Isaac, whom you love, and go…”
God’s entire promise to make a great nation of this old reed, as
countless as the stars and the sand, is here called into ultimate
question. In her book, “Getting Involved with God: Rediscovering the
Old Testament,” Davis describes how ancient rabbis imagined a
conversation between God and the patriarch that is rather different
than the bizarre bargaining for Sodom’s fate, as Abraham tries to offer
Ishmael instead of Isaac.
“Take your son.”
“I have two sons.”
“Your only one.”
“This one is the only son of his mother, and this (other) one is the only son of
his mother.”
“The one you love.”
“I love them both.”
“Isaac.”
And Abraham goes. Isaac portentously asks, “The fire and the wood
are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (22:7) Artists
have rightly portrayed Isaac holding the instruments that will do him
and his father such harm as they walk up the mountain together. “God
himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son,” (22:8) and
so God does -- but not before Abraham threw his arm back to send
the dagger into the boy’s throat.
What lesson in leadership could this be? Child sacrifice is nowhere
commended in Scripture -- indeed this story has been read as a
departure from previous or pagan religious ways in Israel. It is also a
story about the demands of this difficult, irascible God. Will Abraham
cling to God’s promise of blessing and neglect God’s command to kill?
Or will he cling to God alone? And for Christians the story is a
foreshadowing of one unimaginable sacrifice, of a Son by a Father,
which gives life to us all.
For Davis there is more. This is a glimpse of a vulnerable God. We
have no record of Abraham’s response to the angel’s intervention, but
by contrast, she says, God’s relief erupts from the page: “Now I know
that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only
son, from me.” (22:12)
God had reason to be wary. Human beings had let him down before
and would again, countless times. Abraham did not. And only now
could God know that he would not. Biblically informed leadership
serves not a distant god, not one who demands human sacrifice, not
one who may or may not fire a lightning bolt if he can be roused from
his siesta. But a God who cares passionately and intimately about
humanity to the point of entering human history himself, first in the
election of Israel and then in the incarnation of Jesus. Leadership in
this image will reflect divine vulnerability, lowliness, even readiness to
die.
After Davis presented these thoughts on leadership to an audience at
Duke, a student challenged her: “You say Abraham stuck his neck out
for people, but it seems to me he only stuck other people’s necks out:
Sarah’s, Hagar’s and Ishmael’s and now Isaac’s.”
Davis clarified: the story of intercession for Sodom is one of sticking
his neck out. The story of the binding of Isaac is more a story of
unflinching obedience to unimaginable divine command. “I can’t tidy
up Abraham for you,” she said.
But Abraham can provide some beginning thoughts on biblical
leadership. It is a channel of blessings for others. It sticks its neck out
for others. And it is willing to pay any price.

However, the leadership of Abraham can also be traced from the

information discussed below;
Abraham had a vision.

Abraham’s vision was to found a new nation –the Promised Land, one where his descendents
would live as a unified people believing in monotheism, concern for the helpless, and justice
for all. Even though Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, settled in Egypt, he wanted to be buried
in the cave of Machpelah, the burial place of Abraham and Isaac. Jacob made Joseph
swear that he would be buried in the Holy Land and was indeed buried there by Joseph and
his brothers. He passed his love of the Holy Land on to all his children and we note
that even Joseph made his brothers swear that they would bring his bones back to the
Promised Land. In Joseph’s words (Genesis 50:24-25): "I will die but God will surely
remember you and bring you up out of this land unto the land which He swore to
Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob ... God will surely remember you, and you shall carry
up my bones from here." This vision, passed on from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob and to
Jacob’s children, sustained the Israelites through a bitter servitude lasting many decades.

Abraham had courage and confidence.

The Bible (Genesis 14) relates how Abraham mobilized his clan and, with only 318 people,
waged war with four powerful kings in order to rescue his nephew Lot. Abraham was
greatly outnumbered but pursued four powerful adversaries who had just soundly
defeated five powerful kings (the Kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and three allies). Abraham
was not only courageous but loyal to the members of his clan, even one who left to live
in Sodom. Transformational leaders need courage to take risks and confidence to carry
out their visions (Black and Porter 2000, pp. 434-435; Nahavandi 2000, p. 189; Northouse
1997, pp. 141-143

Abraham cared about people and had a strong sense of justice.

Abraham was the first person to tithe his possessions (Genesis 14:20). Abraham was
also extremely hospitable to strangers. The Bible (Genesis 18) relates that on one hot day,
Abraham was sitting at his tent’s entrance and noticed three strangers. He ran towards
them and invited them to come to his home and "wash their feet" and eat a "morsel of bread."
Abraham did not offer them very much in order to make it easy for them to agree. In
actuality, he provided them with freshly baked bread, curd and milk, and a tender
calf. Moreover, Abraham stood over them and acted as host and waiter. Abraham was
an elderly man, yet the Bible states (Genesis 18:6, 18:7): "And Abraham hastened to the
tent..." "Abraham ran to the cattle." When they left, the verse states (Genesis 18:16):
"Abraham went with them to send them on their way." Abraham even showed his guests the
courtesy of accompanying them part of the way. His nephew, Lot, also practiced hospitality
in Sodom, a place that was violently opposed to treating strangers with hospitality (Genesis
19)

Abraham was humble.

Abraham was an individual of great humility. He referred to himself as "but dust and
ash" (Genesis 18:27). When his wife Sarah passed away, Abraham approached the Hittites
because he wanted to purchase a burial site. Abraham said regarding himself: (Genesis 23:4):
"I am a stranger and a sojourner with you." The Hittites, however, knew who
Abraham was and referred to him as a "prince of God" (Genesis 23:6). Abraham spoke
to the Hittites with the greatest respect and even bowed to them several times. He
ultimately paid Ephron the Hittite the outrageous sum of 400 silvershekelsfor his
land. (Jeremiah (32:9) paid only 17shekelsfor a similar parcel of land.) Abraham knew
what Ephron really wanted for the land since he stated the value while he was offering it for
free. Ephron said to Abraham, in the presence of his fellow Hittites, (Genesis 23:14): "My
lord, listen to me, land worth 400 silvershekels, between me and you, what is it? Bury
your dead." Abraham understood that Ephron was simply posturing and did indeed
want 400shekels; Abraham refused to take advantage of an offer that was not genuine.

Abraham had charisma.

Charismatic leaders have the ability to influence others because of their

inspirational qualities. The Greek ‘divine gift’ and individuals with charisma have the power
to secure the devotion of large numbers of people. Conger and Kanungo (1988, p. 79) state
that the followers of charismatic leaders make attributions of heroic and extraordinary
abilities to them after observing certain behaviors. They are the inspiration of their
followers, and are themselves models of the desired behaviors.

Abraham had the ultimate divine gift since God assured him that (Genesis 12:3): "I will bless
those that bless you, and him that curses you I will curse." Moreover, almost four
thousand years after his death, he is still a role model for billions of

people. His burial place, the cave of Machpelah in Hebron, is a holy place that is
visited by hundreds of individuals every day.

Abraham was willing to make sacrifices for his beliefs.

The story of Abraham’s test, in which God asked him to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac,
indicated Abraham’s willingness to make a personal sacrifice for God (Genesis 22). It is
interesting to note Abraham’s reaction after being told by an angel of God (Genesis 22:12):
"Lay not your hand upon the lad nor do anything to him for now I know that you are a
God-fearing man." Abraham did not speak to his son, but "lifted up his eyes and
saw, and looked, and behold behind him a ram." Abraham was looking for another
offering since he was totally dedicated to God.

Abraham dared to be different.

He was a change agent. It is not easy --and may often be dangerous -to be different
from the people around you. Abraham’s clan was distinct and very unlike the people
that surrounded them. One obvious difference is that they were monotheists in a pagan
society.
Abraham’s view of hospitality to strangers was also the diametrical opposite of the
philosophy of Sodom and Gomorrah, places that hated strangers. Sodomite "hospitality"
involved raping strangers entering their country (Genesis 19:4-5); Abraham showed
hospitality to strangers by personally serving them. Strangers were not treated well in
much of the ancient world and Abraham himself was afraid when traveling with his wife
to Egypt. He feared that he would be killed so that his wife could be stolen away (Genesis 12:
11-13).

Prioritising worship over dunya

Ibrahim’s commitment to Allah was stronger than his desires for the dunya; he chose pleasing
Allah over comfort, luxury, and even love. In surah Ibrahim, it is explained that he left his
family behind in Makkah so that they could establish prayer:

Sacrifice.

Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice his beloved son after a lifetime of longing for a child, all for
the sake of Allah. Not only does this history teach us to sacrifice what we love in the pursuit
of Allah’s pleasure, but it also teaches us to uphold Ibrahim’s legacy of Qurbani, which you
can perform this year from just £26 through Human Appeal

Hospitality and generosity

Has there reached you the story of the honoured guests of Ibrahim? When they entered upon
him and said, "[We greet you with] peace." He answered, "[And upon you] peace, [you are] a
people unknown. Then he went to his family and came with a fat [roasted] calf. And placed it
near them; he said, "Will you not eat?" (51:24-27)

Forbearance and patience

Ibrahim endured his many trials with calmness and sensibility. When Ibrahim’s father
opposed his message, Ibrahim was not angry or impatient, rather, he spoke to his father in a
beautiful, soft manner. This is an important lesson to remember in today’s globalised world,
in which we often mix with people who differ from us in belief.

Lessons obtained from the leadership of Abraham

Abram was a man of action. When faced with this crisis, he “solved” it. Let me be clear –
there is nothing wrong with solving problems. But like so many men, Abram did not leave
much room between seeing, solving and acting to solve these problems. He did not
pause to consult God, and, as a result, the outcome was painful. 

Abram’s first choice involved preserving his people. He decided to take his people
to where the food was in Egypt. We do not see that he paused to pray or consult God. He
just saw the problem, saw a solution and made the decision to take his people to Egypt. 

Abram’s second choice involved self-preservation. Out of fear for his life, he

instructed his wife Sarai to tell the Egyptians she was his sister. Again, we do not see
him pause to consult God.  Instead, he saw a problem (or a potential problem), decided
he could fix it and made it happen. Abram prospered for a time.
But God, wanting Abram to learn, let his plan spiral out of control. Sarai ended up in
Pharaoh’s palace as his wife. The truth came out when the Lord brought sickness
to Pharaoh and his people, so Abram and his family got kicked out of Egypt.

When trying to understand why Abram did not consult God about these two decisions –

especially given God’s unconditional promises to him earlier in the chapter – it brings
me to a reality check.  Abram was a man who confronted his fears. In the face of that
fear, he relied on himself — his plan, his fixes and ultimately his failure – instead of
God.  
God lovingly wanted Abram to learn, so He allowed Abram to fail – even to the point that
he was kicked out of the place he went for safety. (As a side note, we will see in the next
chapter that Abram did not starve, and he ended up back at Bethel.)

A leader is a risk taker

Abraham and leadership When we first meet Abraham he lives in Ur in Chaldea with his
family. God then tells him to leave the country, bring his family along and move to the land
which God will lead him to. It is interesting that God does not name the place he will lead
Abraham to, he simply tells Abraham to leave. That requires a whole lot of faith, trust and it
can be called risk taking at a high level.

A leader is obedient

In the story of Abraham we can see that Abraham was obedient to his master, to God. That is
why he could walk in faith and walk into the unknown with trust. He new that his master
always watched out for him. As believers we need to walk in obedience to our master and
that is the most important of all.
We also need to learn obedience towards our earthly leaders. Sometimes we tend to believe
that the more dirt we can throw on our leaders, bosses and pastors, the better and cooler we
become. Still, if you want people to show obedience towards you as a leader, they must first
see that you are obedient towards your leaders. It is not enough to have an outer appearance
of obedience; it needs to come from the heart. People will see if you just „play” obedient, but
on your inside you resist working under leadership and following the instructions of others.
The Bible speaks about being „willing and obedient.” It is not enough to be obedient, you
also need to be willing.

The leader has a goal

In the first sentences about Abraham in Genesis 12 we can read that God wanted to bless him,
and in that way make him a blessing to the nations. In the vision given to Abraham the goal
was not about getting rich, placing himself in the center of everything. The vision focused on
other people, making the blessings given to Abraham something to be shared with people all
around the globe. Your goal need to be higher than yourself.

A leader compromises the right things

As Abraham arrives in the land of Canaan he stops at the plain of Moreh. According to some
Bible teachers a terebinth tree was located here, a sacred tree used by the people in ancient
Israel as an oracle. When Abraham arrived, he did not compromise his faith in his own God
making a sacrifice by the tree or consulting the oracle, but instead he builds an altar to his
own God at the same place. In a business world full of compromise and temptations we must
never compromise our faith in God and the teachings of the Bible.

A leader seeks solutions

Abraham was led by God to the land of Canaan, and God promised that this was to be the
land of Abraham’s seed. Not long after we read that a big famine arose in the country and
Abraham and his relatives moved on to Egypt. I believe many people in the same situation
would turn bitter in the same situation! If this is the promised land, if this is what you want
me to do, how come there is a famine? For Abraham the solution was to move to Egypt for a
certain amount of time. He sought a solution, and he solved the problem. Later he was led
back to the land of Canaan again, but for a while it seemed as if something had gone wrong.
A leader seeks solutions and as he faces problems such as Abraham, he needs to follow
Abraham’s example and look for solutions, instead of giving up or starving as a result of the
famine.

The leader has disciples

In Genesis 14 we can read about the Battle of Siddim. In the Battle of Siddim the kings of
Jordan were overwhelmed by their enemies and lost the battle against the kings of
Mesopotamia. One of the consequences was that Lot was taken captive by the enemy. As
Abraham was informed about the battle and the result he gathered his trained servants (318 in
total) and persecuted the enemy. After a long persecution they defeated the enemy, they got
all the stolen treasures back and of course his nephew Lot. Notice that when Abraham
gathered his servants, it does not only say servants, it says trained servants. Abraham did not
only have people working together with him as servants.

The leader honors the right people

After retrieving the stolen treasures and liberating Lot, Abraham tithes (gives 10% of
everything he’s got) to Melchizedek, king of Salem. The King of Sodom later says that
Abram can get all the treasures they returned; all the king wanted was his people back.
Abraham refuses to accept the treasures, because he doesn’t want anyone to be able to say
that „I made Abraham rich.” Abraham knew that God who controls the heaven and the earth,
he is the one able to make rich. Therefore he he is the one that deserves the glory for making
rich, not human beings. This does not mean that we should not honor people, but we must be
careful not to give glory to people instead of to God. Encourage people, say nice things, give
them glory for all the awesome work they do.

Living by faith, not control

Faith motivated Abraham to obey God’s call and leave the familiar to discover the territory he
was destined to inherit from God. So he left with only a promise and without even knowing
ahead of time where he was going, Abraham stepped out in faith.

Abraham is known as the father of our faith (Galatian 3:7). Why? Abraham set the
course of his life by faith, setting an example for us to follow. 
It’s the journey that shapes us

He lived by faith as an immigrant in his promised land as though it belonged to

someone else. He journeyed through the land living in tents with Isaac and
Jacob who were persuaded that they were also co-heirs of the same promise.
[10] His eyes of faith were set on the city with unshakable foundations, whose
architect and builder is God himself.

THE LEADERSHIP OF JOSEPH

Joseph was eleventh son of Jacob and his second wife Rachel. His story is told in the book of
Genesis 30:22-24(tells the account of his birth) and Genesis 37-50 (tells the rest of his life).
He was born in Paddan Aram when his father was ninety years old. His father loved him
more than he loved any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age. His
father made him a richly ornamented coat. For this favoritism, all his brothers hated and
envied Joseph. His brothers became angrier when Joseph told them his dreams.

He led wherever he was – Beginning in his own family, as a child

he was a leader whose behavior and actions caught the eye of his
father earning him favor. After being sold by his brothers into
slavery, he worked diligently and become the leader of the house,
second only to his master Potiphar. When jailed, due to the false
accusations of Potiphar’s wife, the Warden put him in charge of
leading the other prisoners. Ultimately, Pharaoh had such a high
regard for Joseph, he practically making him his equal. Joseph
was never #1, throughout his leadership journey. He was never in
the most prominent role, or held the highest title, bust served
faithfully and loyally.

Vision and Strategy – Joseph was dreamer, who had a gift for
defining a compelling vision for the future. He was a planner,
instructing the officials to prepare for a famine, even though it
was years away, gathering up food to store up, even during the
seven years of “plenty.

Integrity and Character– Joseph had character and integrity. He

was honest. He was tempted at multiple times, and he resisted.

Humble- The power and prestige of his position working for

Pharaoh never changed him.

Disciplined– Joseph had the proper long-term perspective, even

while in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.

Faithfulness- While in jail and throughout all of the turmoil,

Joseph remained faithful to God and never wavered from his
commitment to follow Him.
Grace- Joseph showed grace and mercy to his brothers, even
though they had sold him into slavery.

Competence- He did his job with excellence. Whether as a servant,

or the interpreter of Pharaoh’s dream, or as the manager of the
family sheep flock.

Wise– Joseph was wise beyond his years. He was 30 when he

stepped in to help set up Egypt for the famine, and demonstrated
a seasoned perspective with decision after decision.

Interpreter of Dreams (Genesis 40:1-23; 41:1-36)

He was not a merely dreamer but an interpreter of dreams. He completely believed that his
wisdom comes from God.
 
Humble Servant (Genesis 39:1-6, 20-23)
He became a slave to Potiphar. He was willing to do the will of the master. He served the
master as a servant with great respect and brought blessing to his master’s household. 
Obedient (Genesis 39:1-6, 20-23, 8, 9, 20)
He was obedient to God, his parents, all his brothers, his master, and leaders. His obedience
led him to learn many good things, and God raised him up.
Fear of the Lord (Genesis 39:7-13)
No doubt, that he feared God. Because of his God-fearing heart, he prospered in everything
he did. God never disowned him.
 
No Accusation (Genesis 39:14-20)
He kept silent when his mistress accused him falsely. He was considered guilty and
imprisoned. However, God was with him and showed him mercy. Whatever he did, God
made it prosper (Genesis 39:21-23).
 
Kindness (Genesis 45:1-28)
Not only to his family members, was he kind to all people. He knew how to return good to
evil (Genesis 50:16-21). 
 
Forgiving spirit (Genesis 45:1-15)
He held no bitterness against his brothers; graciously, he had forgiven his brothers’ wrong
things.  
 
Manager and Administrator (Genesis 39:1-6, 8, 22-23, 41:39-57; 47:13-27)
He was able to manage a household of Potiphar’s all activities, and he was able to hold the
office of the Prime Minister, i.e. finance, accountancy, even the laws and political affairs of
the nation.

Overcome Temptation (Genesis 39:7-13)

He was a godly man, so his godless mistress could not seduce him. He fled from youthful
lusts.

Leadership Lessons from the Life of Joseph

We are introduced to Joseph in Genesis 37:2 when he was only 17 years old. His father Jacob
favored Joseph more than his other sons. Because of this, and poor judgment by Joseph in
sharing a dream he had about his brothers bowing down to him, his brothers were jealous of
him and hated him. This resulted in them selling him into slavery (Genesis 37:28).
Begg tells us that there is no ideal place to serve God except the place in which He has set
you down. God eventually set Joseph down in Egypt, in the house of Potiphar, an officer of
Pharaoh, the captain of the guard. We are told that the LORD was with Joseph and he became
a successful man. The LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. Joseph found
favor in Potiphar’s sight, and he made him overseer of his house, putting him in charge of all
that he had. The LORD blessed Potiphar’s house for Joseph’s sake, and the blessing of the
LORD was on all that he had (Genesis 39: 2-5).

We are told that Joseph was handsome in form and appearance (Genesis 39:7). Potiphar’s
wife tried to tempt Joseph multiple times, and later she falsely accused him of trying to sleep
with her. But Begg writes that Joseph’s resistance was more powerful than his temptation.
Still, Potiphar put Joseph in prison as a result of the accusations (Genesis 39:20).

In prison, we see again that the LORD was with Joseph, showing him steadfast love and
favor with the keeper of the prison who put him in charge of all of the prisoners. The keeper
of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge because the LORD
was with him. Whatever Joseph did, the LORD made it succeed (Genesis 39: 21-23).

Joseph accurately interpreted the dreams of two prisoners, but the chief cupbearer did not
remember him, and forgot him in prison for two years, until Joseph was given the opportunity
to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. This led to the Pharaoh putting Joseph, then 30 years old, over
all the land of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. (Genesis 41: 40-41). He then led Egypt
well through seven years of plenty and the following seven years of famine.

From slavery to prison to second in command in Egypt, God was always with Joseph.
Although we can focus on many things about the incredible life of Joseph, who Begg tells us
in the details of his life he foreshadowed Jesus Christ, let’s specifically look at his leadership.
Here are 6 key leadership characteristics that Joseph displayed, which would be good for all
leaders to model.

Perseverance – Despite the many ups and downs in his life (sold into slavery, falsely
accused of attempted rape by Potiphar’s wife and imprisoned, forgotten in prison for two
more years by the chief cupbearer), Joseph was faithful, and never questioned God’s plan for
him. We are told throughout his story that the LORD was with him. This is a good lesson for
all leaders, who will go through many successes and failures in their careers.
Good worker – Throughout Joseph’s life – in the house of Potiphar, in the prison and as
second in command in Egypt – we see that Joseph’s good work was rewarded by the LORD.
We are told that whatever Joseph did, the LORD made it succeed. We should do our very
best work and then leave it to God to bless it.

Humble – Joseph was humble and gave credit to God, not taking it for himself. For example,
in Genesis 42: 15-16, Pharaoh tells Joseph that he has had a dream and has heard that Joseph
can interpret dreams. Rather than taking the credit, Joseph humbly and honestly states that it
is not him, but God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer. Do we sometimes take credit
ourselves, rather than giving it to the Lord?

Trustworthy – Joseph was trustworthy and loyal. When tempted by Potiphar’s wife, he
would not betray Potiphar, nor sin against God. He said:

But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no
concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He
is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you,
because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

Make Peace with Adversity

In Genesis 37, we find Joseph in a ditch, or cistern. A wise business investor, Warren Buffett,
once said, “When you find yourself in a ditch, stop digging.” This advice can apply to
business, life and relationships. When Joseph found himself the cistern, he trusted God even
through great adversity. Joseph did not fight his circumstances, but discovered God’s peace
in each of these difficult situations. He came to realize that God uses adversity for good.

Welcome God’s Presence

In Chapter 39, Joseph’s boss, Potiphar, saw something in Joseph that was very special. He
saw that the Lord was with him. Biblical leadership always shows the presence of the Lord,
and the leader has complete trust in God. Can others see Him in us?

Expect Temptation and Be Prepared

People in leadership roles will often be tempted. Positions of power, authority and financial
oversight can become sources of temptation. As Joseph gained leadership roles, he also faced
intense temptation. He was certainly tempted aggressively by Potiphar’s wife. But before he
was tempted, Joseph made a commitment to honor and integrity. In the throes of temptation,
Joseph stood firm. Great leaders decide integrity cannot be compromised, and they make that
commitment even before they face temptation.

Look For Opportunities to Lead

Joseph was certainly treated unfairly and was even sent to prison due to no fault of his own.
But the Lord stayed with him and even provided leadership opportunities while in prison.
From Joseph, we can learn how to make the best of difficult circumstances and even look for
leadership opportunities that might be available in unlikely places. Whether we are at home
raising children or at work leading a team, God values servant leadership in all
circumstances. Through His eternal perspective, the greatest leaders among us are the
Godliest.

Give Credit to Those Who Contribute

When others wanted to give credit and praise to Joseph, he turned it around to give all praise
and glory to God. When interpreting dreams, he was clear that God’s skills, not his own, were
on display. Great leaders embody humility, and they will not accept personal glory and
praise. They tirelessly credit success to others that contributed to the accomplishments.

Place Your Trust in God’s Plan

In Genesis 41, we get a good understanding of Joseph’s trust in God’s plan. Joseph expects
seven years of prosperity to be followed by seven years of famine, so he prepares for the
upcoming difficulties. Joseph trusted God, and as a result, he received great wisdom in how
to deal with the prosperity and how to prepare for the future.

Don’t Be Afraid to Show Emotion

In the final chapters of Joseph’s life, we read a detailed account of how he interacted with his
brothers and his father. Faced with the family members who betrayed him, Joseph displayed
compassion, forgiveness and love. These chapters are often emotional, showing one of the
greatest leaders in Egypt weeping.

Some leaders have the mistaken impression that they should not show emotion, but they are
so wrong. Strong leaders show they care about others, and sometimes that can mean grief.
Display of emotion is a good, sincere characteristic because it shows a caring, loving leader.

Serve in All Circumstances

In the final chapters of Genesis, Joseph showed he loved his father and brothers, and was able
to forgive. But going beyond forgiveness, Joseph proved his servant heart when he blessed
and provided for his family. Great leaders care about every single person they lead, just as the
shepherd cares about every single sheep in the flock.

Leading Where God Calls

Though we may not be called to lead a nation like Joseph, God

calls all of us to lead in some way. Whether in business, BSF
leadership, our local church, our community or leading our family,
He provides the framework for serving effectively wherever we
are called.

The Leadership of Moses

Moses, the Greatest Leader in the Old Testament

The name Moses which etymologically means “one saved from water” takes us back to his
birth during the time of severe oppression of the Israelites by the Egyptians and the
subsequent placing of three months old baby in the Nile river and the providential helping
hand by Pharaoh’s own daughter (Ex 2:1-10). Pharaoh’s daughter considered Moses as her
own son (Ex 2:10) indicating that he was well educated, trained and had all the possible
opportunities to grow in Egyptian wisdom. Moses was powerful in his words and deeds (Acts
7:22). And Moses and the psalmist calls him “man of God” (Ps 90), “the chosen one of
YHWH” (Ps 106:23) and YHWH himself calls him his “own servant” (Nm 12:7; Jos 1:2; see
also Dt 34:5). The book of Chronicles presents him “man of God” (1Ch 23:14). Besides
Pentateuch, we have references of him in Prophets, Psalms as well as in the New Testament
highlighting his importance. Moses lived forty years in Egypt in the royal court of Pharaoh
and another forty years of exile in the Arabian Desert and the final forty years of leadership
of Israel from Egypt to Moab (Acts 7:23-36). Our interest is mainly in his last forty years as
the leader of Israel leading them from Egypt to Moab.
Moses’ Failed Attempt at Leadership (Ex 2:11-15)

There is an interesting incident in the early life of Moses. He had now grown up and was
about 40 years old. He was aware that he was an Israelite enjoying all the pleasures of the
world while his fellow brethren were in utter despair under forced labour and slavery. One
day, he went out and saw his people suffering under forced labour. To his shock, he saw an
Egyptian beating his a Hebrew, one of his kinsfolk. He simply could not tolerate the injustice
done to his fellow brother. He himself assumed the leadership and took the law into his own
hands. He surrendered to his impulses and short-temper. He did the unthinkable. Seeing no
one there, he killed the Egyptian who ill-treated his fellow brother.

The next day, he saw two of his own men fighting. Naturally as a self-made leader, he
intervened and asked: “Why do you strike your fellow Hebrew?” (13). There came the
shocking reply questioning his self-made leadership: “Who made you a ruler and judge over
us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian” (14). Moses’ mission failed. His
leadership was questioned. He was terrified. Stunned Moses fled from Pharaoh in order to
save his life and reached Midian and settled there. “Who made you?” Well, Moses assumed
leadership and the role of a saviour by himself without any apparent mission given by
YHWH but he was rejected by his own people and the dejected Moses had to flee Egypt.

The Dejected Moses’ Call to Leadership

Here is the irony! Moses wanted to be a leader and took up the mantle of leadership by
himself but his leadership was questioned and he had to flee for his life. The frustrated and
dejected Moses was content in taking care of the flock of his father-in-law Jethro (Ex 3:1).
And there, God called him for leadership: “I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the
Israelites, out of Egypt” (Ex 3:10). Moses must have been greatly distressed. Pharaoh’s
palace in Egypt was precisely the place he took up leadership by himself and failed miserably
and he had to escape in order to save his life. And YHWH asked him to go exactly to that
place as a leader. “No, no, no…”, Moses’ answered. He simply could not think of going back
to the same place and that too to liberate the Israelites from the clutches of Pharaoh’s mighty
hands.
Moses began to raise objections after objections. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and
bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (3:11) thundered Moses. “Do not worry, I will be with
you” assured YHWH. “Who are you to send me”, continued Moses his objection (3:13). “I
am who I am. I exist by myself and I do not depend upon anyone for my existence. I am such
an almighty living God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob” (3:14-16), answered YHWH.
Moses was not satisfied. He went on raising his objection but this time with all his humility
and reverence to God: “O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even
now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue”
(4:10). YHWH was not convinced. Prophet was only a mouth piece of God. God would tell
him what he should speak. “I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak”
(4:13), YHWH was categorical and firm in his reply. Poor Moses could no longer find any
other excuses. Now he became frank and honest with himself. At last, shedding diplomacy,
he was straightforward: “O my Lord, please send someone else. I do not want to go” (4:13).

Leadership – A Crown of Thorns

As far as Moses is concerned, leadership was a real crown of thorn for him. First of all,
Moses had a terrible time of frustration and pain in Egypt in convincing Pharaoh to leave the
Israelites. Then, on the wilderness, he had to face terrible pain from his own people whom he
led from slavery to freedom: “If the sons of Israel paid no attention to me, how then will
Pharaoh listen to me” (Ex 6:12). Right at the beginning of their journey from Egypt to the
promised land, the Israelites murmured against Moses saying: “May Yahweh look upon you
and judge you, because you have made us hateful to Pharaoh and his ministers, and placed in
his hand a sword to kill us” (Ex 5:21). Surprised and shocked by this unexpected welcome
from his own people in his attempt to liberate them, he shot back to Yahweh: “O Lord! Why
have you treated your people so badly? Why did you send me?” (Ex 5:22). The Israelites
even went to the extend of accusing Moses saying: “Were there no tombs in Egypt? Why
have you brought us to the desert to die? … far better serve Egypt than to die in the desert!”
(Ex 14:11-12).

Delegation of Authority

Every leader knows how important it is to pool together the resources of the group and
entrust responsibility with the genuine spirit of delegation. We can find no better example
than what we find in the life and mission of Moses.
Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses came to the wilderness with Moses’ wife and his two
children (Ex 18:5). He was so happy to know what YHWH had done to the people of Israel
through the hands of Moses. He stayed with Moses in the wilderness and there he saw people
standing around Moses from morning until evening while Moses was so busy doing so many
things for the people. He was a bit surprised to see his son-in-law doing each and every work
while great number of people having nothing to do. He might have certainly sensed the
frustration in the face of Moses caused by over work. Thus, Jethro came out a piece of
wisdom which stands good even today. He asked Moses: “What is this that you are doing for
the people? Why do you sit alone, while all the people stand around you from morning until
evening” (18:14). Moses proudly answered his father-in-law saying that he was so busy
settling different disputes of the people and instructing them on the statutes of God (18:15-
16).

Moses listened to his father-in-law and did as he requested. He understood how genuine
delegation could reduce his burdens and at the same time multiply the production. It also
enhanced his relationship with his subjects as they too felt that they were not simply
recipients but partakers of mission and valued colleagues of the master.

A religious leader is not expected to do everything by himself. He would be worn-out soon

besides being branded as “alpha leader”, “arrogant” and “dominating”. Religious need to be
“Omega leaders” like Moses, Jesus sharing the responsibilities with others, making them
partakers and colleagues believing in them and trusting them.

Moses did not reach the promised land

Moses took the Israelites from Egypt with the mission of leading them to the promised land,
Canaan. He was with them for forty years in the wilderness undergoing great agony
physically and mentally, tolerating unjust accusations and unexpected disappointments. At
least, he would have had the final satisfaction and the joy of fulfilling the mission, reaching
the destination, leading the Israelites from the land of slavery to the land of freedom. Alas, it
was not to be. He could not enter the promised land and enjoy the taste of the fruit of his
labour. Poor Moses had only the consolation of seeing it from far. “This is the land of which I
swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have
let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there” (Dt 34:4).

Moses Prepared His Successor

Moses was not jealous of the growth of other persons. He did not see others as threat. In fact,
he felt happy and enjoyed the success of others. He did not want his mission to be over with
his death. He wanted the good work that he had begun to be carried forward by other people.
He prepared people to succeed him. Without any grudge or rancour, he smoothly handed over
the power.

When Moses was almost certain that his days were numbered, he spoke to the Lord. He
pleaded God to appoint someone over the congregation and who would lead the people the
way he did. He emotionally prayed YHWH that the people would not be like sheep without a
shepherd, a phrase Jesus would borrow later. Indeed, YHWH listened to these concerns and
prayers of Moses and quickly asked him to take Joshua son of Nun and make his successor
(Num 27:15-21). Moses wasted no time in doing what God had commanded. He took Joshua
and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and entire Israelites. Then he laid his hands as an
outward sign of the transferring of leadership and entrusted the God’s mission which he had
been doing so far faithfully to the new leader Joshua (27:22-23)1. Indeed, it is a great sign of
generosity, maturity and understanding from the part of Moses.

It is to be noted that leadership was not threshed on Joshua all on a sudden without proper
preparation. In fact, Moses was grooming Joshua for quite sometime for leadership role.
When Amalek came to attack Israel, it was Joshua whom assumed leadership and fought.
Joshua chose courageous fighting men as commanded by his master, Moses and defeated
Amalek and his people while Moses was pleading God for his divine help (Ex 17:8-13).

Periodical Visit to His Boss

Moses knew exactly who his boss was and never forgot him3. He made regular and
periodical visit to him. Indeed, he knew it was YHWH who called in the burning bush and
entrusted the mission of liberating the people of Israel from the slavery of Egypt (Ex 3:1–
4:17). When ever he had problems, he went to his master for guidance and consolation. He
totally relied on YHWH who called him. He used to spend long hours with his master
consulting and pouring out his feelings. There are many texts in the book of Exodus and
Deuteronomy which present the deep intimacy and relationship that Moses had with YHWH
his master. We shall present here only two of them.

Ex 33:7-23 presents the intimacy that Moses enjoyed with YHWH. Moses would enter the
tent and the Lord would speak to Moses (9). It is even written that “the Lord used to speak to
Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend” (11) in spite of his warning to Moses that “you
cannot see my face, for no one shall see me and live” (20). In fact. Moses’ face was shining
because of his talk with the almighty that he had to put the veil on his face (Ex 34:29-35).

A religious leader can never forget God who called him to “serve”. He can not pretend as if
he is independent and self-sufficient. The moment he thinks that he can do everything
without God’s help, he fails in his duty as consecrated person and as a leader. He needs to
dialogue with God periodically and regularly, consulting him on important decisions and
seeking his guidance and direction everyday. Jesus’ final words, “remember, I am always
with you, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20) should lead a leader to completely depend upon
him and enter into a deeper relationship with him. And God would be telling a leader who
doubts his leadership ability, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in
weakness” (2Cor 12:9).

Lessons learnt from the leadership of mosses

Get a wingman.    Aaron was Moses’.  A wingman is someone who complements you so that
two end up being better than one.  Moses had a stuttering problem and Aaron was a good
speaker. They worked together to accomplish many things. (Exodus 1-15)
Delegate; don’t go it alone. Moses found himself overwhelmed.   He gave leadership
responsibility to others to deal with the day-to-day people issues Numbers 11) used people to
scout out Canaan (Numbers 13), and gave people meaningful work to do (Numbers 3).
Leadership isn’t easy.  People are prone to complain and forget how they have been blessed
(Numbers 11, 20), but having someone to vent to can help with this.   God was this for Moses
and should be for us all.
Humility makes leaders more effective.  Moses was a “quietly humble man, more so than
anyone living on earth.” (Numbers 12)
Advocate for your people.  Even though the Israelites were grumbling about not having any
meat, Moses advocated for his people by asking God to provide meat for them, and He did
(Numbers 11).  He also asked God to forgive them (Numbers 14).
Even leaders make mistakes and are human.  Moses’ temper was “white hot” (Numbers
16) and he lost his trust in God (Numbers 20, Deuteronomy 32), which cost him the
opportunity to lead his people into the Promised Land.  It is how we handle these flaws and
their consequences that matter.  Its never stated that Moses complained about the
consequence of his lack of trust, and he controlled his temper.
Have a protégé. Leaders make more leaders. Moses’ was Joshua (Deuteronomy 31, 34). 
Leaders should always be training and teaching others and should entrust others with
important tasks.  Joshua was entrusted with leading the Israelites into the Promised Land,

Leaders are called. I would consider myself a reluctant leader. As an introvert, shy and
lacking in confidence, I would never have chosen leadership as my calling, but that’s exactly
what God chose for me. In Exodus 3, we read about God’s calling of Moses from the burning
bush. He tells Moses that He has seen the affliction of his people in Egypt and heard their cry.
He knows their sufferings and has come down to deliver them out of the hand of the
Egyptians and bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey. (Exodus 3: 7-8). And, God
has chosen Moses to lead his people.

Leaders can resist the call of God. Perhaps you have felt the call of God to be a leader, but
you resist that call of God because like me you lacked confidence, were shy and terrified to
speak in public. This was the initial reaction of Moses, who told God that they would not
believe him or listen to his voice because they would say that the LORD had not appeared to
him. Moses also told God that he was not eloquent, and was slow of speech and tongue. God
told him that He would be with him and teach him what he should speak. Still, Moses
pleaded with God to send someone else, which angered God. (Exodus 4:13-14).

Leaders supplement their weaknesses with other’s strengths. We all have areas of
strengths, and also areas in which we are not as strong. Perhaps you are good at developing
vision, but are not effective at communicating the vision, and thus influencing others to
follow you. Moses told God that he did not have the good communications skills to be a
leader. God knows that Aaron does have good communications skills. He tells Moses to
speak to Aaron and put the words in his mouth. God will teach them both what to do, and
Aaron will speak for Moses to the people. (Exodus 4:15-16).

The Leadership of Jesus.

Jesus is the greatest leader ever lived in this world. He is a leader par excellence. He lived in
an era where the terms “psychology” and “human management” were never heard of. Yet,
this man from Galilee was able to change the world and lives of millions of people and left
the world after making an indelible mark on it simply because of his leadership qualities.
Surprisingly, he still influences the world very much. This poor man from Galilee still
remains the “founder” of the largest movement of world even after 2000 years of death! He
cannot be but simply exceptional and extraordinary leader. As Beth Jones beautifully points
out, Jesus is the perfect of example of Omega leader blending and incorporating the positives
of Alpha management style and Beta management style

Jesus was not self-promoting. (Mark 1:11)

As Jesus began his ministry, he made it clear that there was a higher power at work. The fact
that he placed himself under the care of John the Baptist for baptism showed that Jesus was
going to teach his followers that submission does not mean weakness. What Jesus was
displaying was the first example in his ministry of what true servanthood was all about. In
Matthew 3:13-15, the bible explains in more detail why Jesus began his ministry by not
promoting himself but allowing John to baptize him, instead of Jesus baptizing John.
Matthew writes these words,

Jesus was obedient to the Holy Spirit. (Mark 1:12-13). After Jesus’ baptism, the Gospel
writer Mark says that “at once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the
wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels
attended him.”

Jesus cast a vision with clarity, simplicity, and directness. (Mark 1:15). Not long after
Jesus began his ministry, John was arrested. When this happened, “Jesus came into Galilee,
preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

One of the most active components of Jesus’ ministry was his ability to be simple, clear, and
direct. This behavior was shown in his preaching and teaching. His ability to tell the truth
through a simple parable was the foundation of all he did.

Jesus was a strategic team builder. (Mark 1:17). When Jesus called the first four disciples,
who were fishermen, to follow him, he said, “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send
you out to fish for people.” When Jesus began the process of calling his disciples to follow
him, he started with men who had something in common. In the Gospel, according to
Matthew (chapter 4), the first two people that Jesus called were fishermen who also were
brothers. Their names were Peter and Andrew. The next two recruits were friends of Peter
and Andrew, who were also fishermen. They were brothers whose names were James and
John. Is this process of Jesus’ first recruits insignificant, or is there a lesson to be learned?

Jesus was a relationship builder. (Mark 1:19)

As noted above, Jesus began recruiting his disciples by finding those who shared some
common ground. This strong foundation led to calling those of differing character. Take, for
example, Matthew the tax collector for Rome and Simon the Zealot (not Simon Peter). The
make-up of these two people shows how Jesus can build different relationships.

Matthew worked for Rome in the collection of taxes, while Simon the Zealot was an ardent
Jewish nationalist. For Simon, the idea of paying taxes to Rome went against everything he
believed. It would not be out of line to say that Simon the Zealot hated Roman tax collectors
with a passion.

Jesus expressed control and authority as a leader when needed. (Mark 1:23-25)

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus met a man possessed by demons. “Just then a man in
their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you want with
us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of
God!” When the demon made this statement, Jesus said sternly, “Be quiet and come out of
him!” Never doubt that the characteristics of Jesus showed authority and expressed firm
control when needed.

Jesus engaged in crisis head-on. (Mark 1:30-31)

Often a crisis will cripple many people. However, Jesus often took a crisis head-on. The
Bible story says, “Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told
Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and
she began to wait on them.” When Luke included this event in his Gospel, he approached it
from his occupation as a doctor. He noted that Peters mother did not have just a fever but “a
great fever.” (Luke 4:38) This type of illness was a very violent one, that threatened possible
death, and was extremely dangerous to an old person. The approach of Christ to deal with
this situation was an expression of engaging the crisis head-on. Jesus practiced daily prayer.
(Mark 1:35) Another strong characteristic of Jesus was that he prayed every day. Here are
some examples of his daily practice.

 “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” –

Matthew 14:23
 “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to
them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.'” –Matthew 26:36
 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and
went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
 “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” –Luke 5:16
 “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night
praying to God.” –Luke 6:12

Jesus was all about empowering others. (Mark 1:40-45)

Jesus’ entire ministry focused on the empowerment of others. A perfect example of this was
in his healing of a man with leprosy. “And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling
on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Moved
with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am
willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.” (Mark 1:40-45)

Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5–7)

The entire sermon on the mount found in the Gospel of Matthew is the beautiful lesson for
leadership in consecrated life. If a religious leader follows all those difficult but possible
recommendations of Jesus as found in the sermon on the mount, he would be incorporating
Jesus’ Omega style of leadership. They were not mere sayings of Jesus but his very life. A
leader like Jesus should be poor in spirit, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, pure in
heart, peace maker, ready to face difficulties and pain for the just and righteous causes (5:3-
12). A leader must be the salt and light of his/her family or community (5:13-14). A leader is
never to lose temper and get angry unnecessarily. A leader should never insult those who are
entrusted to his/her care and call them “fools” (5:21-22).

A leader can never win the battle by counter argument or retaliation6. Jesus teaches that the
true leader should never react and lose his energy7. So, he asks not to resist an evil doer and
be ready to turn the other cheek, if anyone strike on the right cheek. “An eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth” is not going to win friends and support for a religious leader (5:38-39). The
secret of success in leadership consists in not having enemies but maintaining loving
relationship with all. Jesus invites leaders to love even the enemies and pray for those who
trouble (5:43-44). He asks the leaders never to judge their staff members and those entrusted
to their care (7:1-5). One’s attitude towards leadership and others would undergo drastic
change if he/she practises the golden rule of Jesus: “do to others as you would have them do
to you” (7:12).

True Greatness (Mk 9:33-37)

“Striving to be great” is something typical of Jewish mentality of that time and it permeated
the whole of the Palestinian concept of piety. On every occasion, be it in the assembly for the
service of God, or be it in the execution of Justice or even at a common table, the first
question that they asked was “who was the greatest?”. Slowly the measuring of honour to be
shown to each person became an obsessive and all-important preoccupation8. For example, in
Qumran community, all the members were ranked annually according to the worthiness of
each individual9. In fact, even today, precedence is important in the «protocol» and this is
seen even in the Church.

Human being longs to be great and wants to be recognized as such by others. Even Jesus’
disciples were not an exception to this. They wanted to know “who is the greatest among
them”. So, they argued on the way. Knowing the mentality and “over inflated ego balloons”
of his disciples, Jesus comes out with a beautiful lesson on leadership: “you want to be first,
be the last of all and servant of all. You have to be simple and humble like the child”. This
saying of Jesus reminds us of the request of James and John to occupy the first two important
posts. Once again Jesus teaches the disciples who were angry with James and John for this
request of true greatness. He tells them that the Gentiles’ rulers love to dominate and exercise
their authority by power. “But it is not among you; but whoever wishes to become great
among you must be your servant and whoever wishes to be first among you must be a slave
of all” (Mk 10:35-44).

Avoidance of Arrogance and Jealousy

There is an interesting event in the life of Jesus. While Jesus was at Capernaum in a house
teaching the disciples of true greatness, John comes out with a curious incident: “Teacher, we
saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not
following us” (Mk 9:38-41). Jesus using this opportunity teaches how a disciple or a leader
should be. He tells them that those who exercise authority should not be arrogant, selfish and
jealous. Rather he/she should be tolerant and broadminded ready to welcome good
suggestions and deeds from any one.

Jesus’ teaching on «humility» and «servant hood» is contrasted immediately with the attitude
of the disciples on the «non-disciple» who casts out demon using Jesus’ name (38). This
attitude is the result of their pride, arrogance, and the desire to dominate and to be great and
first (34). Possibly, the success of a non-disciple would have threatened their position as
«greats» and «firsts». Jesus wanted them to be «last» and «servant» (35) but they still desire
to be «firsts» and «masters

Be a Forgiving Person

Peter, the leader of the group of twelve apostles and the first Pope of the Church appointed by
Jesus himself, comes to Jesus with question: “Lord, if another member of the church sins
against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” (Mt 18:21). Possibly Peter
would have expected words of appreciation from Jesus as he was ready to forgive seven
times. Instead, Jesus asks him to forgive unconditionally without counting. A leader is one
who loves his/her subjects unconditionally and understands them and ready to forgive whey
they err. As the saying goes, “To err is human; to forgive is divine”. Jesus invites the leader
Peter to incorporate this divine nature and to forgive his folk always without counting.

Jesus himself is a symbol of forgiveness. He never refused to forgive anyone. He forgave his
“enemies” even while hanging on the cross without apparent request from them. He always
believed in people and kept on giving them chances for transformation. Shockingly, Peter
who pledged eternal faithfulness to Jesus denied him not once but three times publicly
(Lk22:61). It must have been hard for Jesus to forgive him. But he looked at him
compassionately, appeared to him and asked him to “to feed his sheep” (Jn 21:15-17)13.
Jesus even forgave Judas Iscariot who betrayed him for thirty silver coin when he uttered
from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34).

Fraternal Correction

A leader has the duty and responsibility of correcting those who are entrusted to his care.
When Peter wanted Jesus to enjoy glory without cross and became a stumbling block for
Jesus to do the will of his Father, Jesus did not hesitate to correct and rebuke Peter. He even
went to the extend of calling his one of his favourites disciples “Satan” (Mk 8:33). Hearing of
Jesus’ destiny of humiliation, suffering and consequent death, Peter protests and «rebukes»
him. He does not understand that Jesus is a suffering Messiah. So it is Jesus’ turn to rebuke
Peter with shockingly strong words: «Get behind me, Satan, you do not think the things of
God, but the things of men» (33b). The phrase «get behind me» could mean, «take the place
of a disciple by following me and my example». Only by getting behind Jesus in the position
of a follower can one think of the things of God14. Peter forgot his call. He was called to
follow Jesus (1:17). By counselling Jesus, he seems to lead Jesus than following him. Peter in
a way behaves like a master and not as a disciple. Disciples are not to guide, protect or
possess Jesus; they are simply to follow him15. As a consequence, Peter’s thoughts do not
comply with the will of God but with human aspirations, which are nothing but dominated by
satanic values16. The choice is between the kingdom of God and the power of evil. And in
this instance, Peter seems to choose the power of evil. And Jesus shows where he belongs: he
is to be behind his master, Jesus.

Jesus also gives the lesson on fraternal correction vividly. A religious leader has to point out
the fault and correct the member in private without hurting his ego (Mt 18:15)17. If he/she
fails to listen and correct, then the leader can take with him one or two others along with him
and care-front (Mt 18:16). If he/she still refuses to listen, the matter is to be reported to the
higher authority for perusal (Mt 18:17). But in any case, the offender is not to be left alone
without making any attempt to make the person realise his mistakes and inviting him to
repent and make amendment.

Team Work

Today we speak so much about team work and shared mission. We know that many hands
and many minds can do much more work than two hands and one mind as Moses’ father-in-
law taught him. But Jesus was the pioneer here. He never wanted to his mission alone. He
wanted to share his mission with others. So, he called his first disciples as soon as he began
his public ministry (4:18-22). He made them participants of his mission. They accompanied
him in his preaching, teaching and healing. They became part of his life, leaving everything
and following his radically. He knew that they needed training before doing the mission by
themselves. So, he gave them intensive training, a training for three years. As the evangelist
Mark puts it, “Jesus appointed twelve to be with him (training) and to be sent out to proclaim
the message and to have authority to cast out demons (mission) (Mk 3:14-15).

Always at the Side of His Disciples

Jesus, the leader par excellence was always at the side of his subjects. He never betrayed
them rather always he defended them in public. Let us take the case of the disciples plucking
grain and eating it on the Sabbath (Mt 12:1-8). They did what they were not supposed to do
on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were shocked seeing this. They complained to Jesus saying,
“Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath” (2). But Jesus did
not chide the disciples in front of the Pharisees. Instead, he defended them reminding the
Pharisees of what David did when he and his companions were hungry.

Let us recall another incident. Some people approached Jesus and complained him of his
disciples: “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples
do not fast? (Mk 2:18). Again, Jesus came to the rescue of his disciples and defended them
from the accusation. Jesus taking the leaf from the Jewish marriage celebration, where even
the Pharisees who were relatives of the bridegroom were exempted from fasting even during
the days of fasting, said categorically, “As long as they have the bridegroom (Jesus) with
them, they cannot fast” (Mk 2:19). Jesus would never humiliate his disciples in public

He Knows His Boss

Jesus knew exactly who his boss was and he never forgot him. He visited him every day and
spent hours together sharing with him his life and mission and asking his guidance. “Nothing
could interrupt the time that was predestined, set aside, and honored”20. Even though, the
crowd gathered to praise him, to hear him and to be cured of their diseases, “he would
withdraw to deserted places and pray” (Lk 5:16). His disciples were so fascinated and
inspired by Jesus’ prayer life that they asked him to teach them to pray (Lk 11:1). He
consulted his heavenly father before taking every major decision of his life. Before beginning
his public ministry, he was there in the wilderness alone praying, consulting, asking strength
and clarity for the mission that he is just about to begin (Mk 1:12-13). Before calling the first
disciples (Lk 5:1-11), “at day break he departed and went into a deserted place” (Lk 4:42).
Jesus wants to choose his twelve special staff members and he spends the whole night with
his Father before doing that: “he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in
prayer to God. And when the day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them” (Lk
6:12-13).

Lessons learnt from the leadership of Jesus

Great leaders lead from the inside out. Jesus focused on personal leadership first--matters
of character. At the core of these matters of character is integrity. Without integrity, no one
will follow you, and if no one is following you, you are not leading.

Leadership is truly an inside job. Your leadership skills will only take you as far as your
character will allow. Jesus had a pure heart and unfailing character. The more you work on
your heart and your character, the more others will want to follow you.

Great leaders are great storytellers. Jesus' stories have certainly withstood the test of time.
His preferred storytelling style was the parable. Stories are richer, more powerful and longer-
lasting than directives or instructions. Look at your own life for stories that have relevant
messages for your team... we all have them. Turn your stories into coaching tools for future
leaders to build your leadership legacy.

Great leaders are great servants. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples even during his
most trying time. Great leaders today see themselves as serving their teams - equipping,
encouraging and coaching them to realize their potential. Leadership is about others, not you.

Great leaders balance conviction with compassion. Jesus held strong convictions and
values while still showing tremendous compassion to others who did not share these same
convictions. Likewise, today's great leaders are clear about their values and expectations
while being sensitive to the person behind the employee. This balance engages people's heart
and minds, and it motivates them to give their discretionary effort - what I call passionate
performance.

Jesus loved people. Jesus loved people of all ethnic and economic backgrounds. Seeing
people’s lives improve through His mission on Earth fueled Jesus.

Jesus had a team. Jesus understood that He couldn’t do anything without a team of people
around Him. Therefore, He recruited twelve disciples who partnered with Him spreading
Christianity.

Jesus empowered people. Jesus understood that as leaders we cannot do it all, and therefore,
He empowered people around Him to go out and fulfill His mission. Jesus knew He couldn’t
do it all as a leader and that His movement wouldn’t reach its full potential without
empowered people to use their personal talents to fulfillment.

Jesus had a servant’s heart. Jesus understood that His leadership position wasn’t a place of
superiority but a place of servanthood. Jesus was always focusing on serving the needs of His
disciples and followers. He never had an attitude of entitlement, but always operated in
humility serving those around Him. Jesus was never an ‘untouchable’ leader. He was always
in the midst of those He served.

Jesus met needs. Jesus understood that true leaders perceive and meet the needs of those
around them. He knew that perceiving and meeting the needs of the people around Him was a
vital to His leadership success. In Scripture we find continual stories that point to Jesus’
ability to meet the needs of those around Him.

Jesus was intentional. Jesus was intentional about how His time was spent. He knew the
power of balancing time alone and with others. Jesus knew the importance as a leader to
spend time alone to regroup and recharge. He was aware of the how important it was to
schedule time to rest and unwind. Jesus also knew when it was time to be around others to
grow, fellowship, and serve. He was never reactive with His time; He was always intentional
with it, whether it was spent alone or with others.

Jesus was forgiving. Jesus understood the power of forgiveness. He realized that forgiveness
is an attitude and at the end of the day everyone makes mistakes. Jesus knew that being quick
to forgive allowed Him to live a happier life and closer with those around Him. He
understood that people are human and gave them grace. Jesus was always quick to forgive
those closest to him and His followers.

King Solomon leadership

King Solomon was the third king of Israel from 962-922 BC. While King he maintained his
father’s (King David) kingdom from the north and east borders of the Aramean state of
Zobah to the border of Eygpt.

Solomon carried on the legacy his father left behind while developing and adding to the
fortification of the kingdom. History records that Solomon was the principal leader in
developing the strong chariot defenses of the country.

Solomon Was an Organizer

One of the true signs of a healthy leader can be seen in the way they can organize those who
are under their leadership. The Old Testament book of 1st Kings shows how Solomon
recruited a core group of leaders to help develop his kingdom.

Solomon Was an Administrator

A good leader is a good administrator. Solomon showed administration skills when he

divided the nation of Israel into twelve districts.

Solomon Was a Builder

When it came to building, Solomon also showed his skills in teamwork and team
development.

Solomon Was an Entrepreneur

Solomon had the ability to take something old and create something new. During the fourth
year of his reign as King, Solomon started to build the a Temple. This temple project began
480 years after the people of Israel were freed from their Egyptian bondage. (1 Kings 6:1)

Solomon Was a Diplomat

As to Solomon’s skill as a diplomat, his behavior can be seen in how he chose his wives.
Political arrangements were the cause of many of Solomon’s marriages. On one occasion,
Solomon married an Egyptian Pharaoh’s daughter.

Solomon Was a Merchant

This king showed interest in many kinds of money making adventures but according to 1
Kings 10:26-29 Solomon was a strong buyer and seller of horses.
Solomon Was a Visionary and Dreamer

The first dream of Solomon was recorded 1 Kings 3:5-15. “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to
Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give
you.” Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David,
because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this
great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

Solomon Was a Wise Man

The word wisdom and the name Solomon complement one another. The Wisdom of Solomon
is a phrase that implies great skill.

Leadership Lessons of Solomon.

Success begins with a stable foundation - Solomon’s first work after taking the throne was
to establish the kingdom. Not until this step was completed did he begin to build his
magnificent monuments. For Solomon, establishing the kingdom meant rooting out internal
traitors and enemies. He would never have succeeded if he was always postponing his
building projects to crush rebellions. The takeaway: Ensure that you have a stable foundation
in your life, career, and relationships. Don’t move on until this is certain. Especially, don’t
put anything (your life, your family, your church, your business, or anything else) in the
spotlight as an example for others until you know that it is solid enough to endure that strain.

All the disciplines are intertwined – Solomon was not just a great king – he was also a
botanist, architect, sage, administrator, judge, diplomat, and entrepreneur, among other
things. Surely, part of his wisdom came from his refusal to pigeon-hole himself in one
discipline (i.e., kingship). By developing many talents, Solomon was able to apply wisdom
from one subject to another subject.

Administrative skill is a sign of wisdom – A big empire calls for lots of bookkeeping.
Solomon’s empire carefully tracked his imports and exports. Agreements with foreign nations
were explicitly clear as to who did what. The nation itself was divided into twelve provinces,
and each province must provide food for the royal dining room. Manual laborer was
delegated to shifts and placed under competent officers. This wasn’t unnecessary work.
Solomon’s administrative skills were a sign of his wisdom.
The most lasting accomplishments are mission-focused – We know that Solomon was
wise, built himself a grand palace, had a magnificent fleet, and accumulated gold. His most
lasting accomplishment, however, was to build the Temple in Jerusalem. Indeed, the Biblical
narrative places this at the center of Solomon’s narrative. Why? Because Solomon’s ultimate
mission was to serve God and His people. The temple was his ultimate ministry to both. The
other accomplishments may have been grand. They may have been even more expensive or
difficult. But the temple was most important to his mission.

You can’t go it alone – Solomon may have been the central figure of the Hebrew Empire,
but he certainly wasn’t alone. He was helped by an army of capable rulers who administered
the provinces of his realm. He also made allies of unlikely people: he married Pharaoh’s
daughter and recruited the Phoenician king Hiram for his architectural and commercial
ventures. His relationship with Egypt ensured political peace; his relationship with the
Phoenicians – who were experts in sailing and commerce – ensured commercial success.

Have more than you show – Solomon’s wealth and fame were world news, sufficiently
interesting to get the Queen of Sheba to come on a tourist visit. Even though our jaws drop
when we read about his kingdom (666 talents of gold coming in every year?), she summed up
her visit by saying, “The half was not told me.” Evidently, Solomon was even more
impressive than the reports that made their rounds.

It may be the inside that counts, but it’s the outside that shows – Solomon’s architectural
feats were grand. He wasn’t content to frame a plain concrete shell, put the Ark of the
Covenant inside, and slap a ‘Temple’ sticker on the structure. No, he went all out. The temple
was coated with gold, embossed with palm trees, and it was the ancient equivalent of a
skyscraper. Everything that Solomon did was on the large side. He wasn’t content to have a
powerful army or an efficient justice system – he built a huge golden throne with twelve
sculptured lions, then lined the palatial ‘House of the Forest of Lebanon’ with five hundred
golden shields, to symbolize the judicial skill and military prowess of his empire. Solomon
knew how to market.

Preparation for the next generation sets them up for success or failure – Solomon was a
phenomenal king, but he didn’t get there by himself. His dad, David, worked long and hard to
fight wars, stop rebellions, and stockpile supplies so that his son could have the fame of
ruling an empire and building a temple. Solomon got a head start because of what his dad did.
Similarly, Solomon set up a grand empire, but undercut its power in his last years. This set up
his own son, Rehoboam, to face insurrection and warfare.

Do your part, but it isn’t all your part – David’s dying words to his son indicated that the
key to successful leadership of God’s people is obedience to God’s Word. If Solomon wanted
to thrive, he had to obey God, period. Solomon’s work, in other words, was clearly cut out for
him. No obedience = no success. On the other hand, Solomon inherited a covenant in which
God promised to prosper the family of David. It wasn’t just that Solomon had to do
everything – God was the one who would give prosperity.

The end of the show is important – Despite fantastic wealth and a name in the history
books, Solomon’s last years were marked by idolatry and addiction. With 700 wives and 300
concubines, Solomon’s love life required some attention. Keeping that many women happy
required that he make some compromises – in the end, he compromised his religion. Even
now we don’t remember Solomon just by his great deeds and magnificent buildings. We also
remember his misdirected love life. All those years of greatness were marred by his aging
follies

Worldliness Leads To Worthlessness. Solomon had everything and threw it all away. He’s
richer than Bill Gates. He’s smarter than Bill Nye. He’s more powerful than the president and
has a house full of girlfriends that would make a porn star blush and his heart turns away
from God and he leaves his wife and destroys his life. — I think Song of Solomon was
written when he was young and in love, he wrote 2 Psalms with his dad. The Proverbs was
collections of sayings over the course of his life and at the end of his life Solomon wrote the
book of Ecclesiastes as a form of confession and repentance about wasting his life with
foolishness and sin.

Sin Affects Generations. Now some of you might be thinking. It’s really not a big deal. I
don’t really feel like God is angry at me. I know I’m unrepentant and sleeping around and
having an affair or cheating on my spouse. Yeah I look at porn, whatever it’s not a big deal. I
still got my job. I still go to church. I still have my kids and my house and pay my bills,
what’s the big deal? Sin doesn’t just effect you sin affects generations.

1. Solomon experiences the same sin and temptation and falls victim to the same evils that his
father does. He becomes just like father, guilty of the same sins and failures, a murderer and
an adulterer.
2. Solomon’s children repeat the process. This is sin through the generations. Solomon’s life
was perfect. Money, women, power and unprecedented peace. What you’ll notice is Solomon
never suffered. His children suffered his consequences instead. His children died horrible
deaths, in war and famine, and the nation of Israel was completely destroyed because of his
sin and foolishness. Sin affects generation.

Repentance Leaves A Legacy. Solomon and his sin and failures as a husband and father,
totally destroyed everyone around him and he died bitter and alone. But at the end of his life,
he reflected back on God and everything that he had done and repented of his sin, and God
still honored Solomon’s legacy. He didn’t excuse the sin, there were still consequence
because of his actions, but God still used it. Because a thousand years later, from Solomon
and Abishag became the great grandparents of Jesus Christ. God humbly became a man in
Jesus Christ, to reverse the curse of sin and generations and to redeem all mankind.

The leadership of David

Israel’s King David was, without a doubt, a great leader. Men were willing to follow him
even before he was king, and even when he was on the run and had to hide in the desert. God
referred to him as “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22), which is some of the highest
praise anyone gets in the Bible.

Reliable

If David had not obeyed his father Jesse’s assignment to check on his brothers (1 Sam. 17:17-
20), he would not have been showcased as Israel’s next leader. The first trait of a good leader
is to be reliable, dependable, and faithful to micro then macro stewardship opportunities.
These qualities will receive God’s approval in the final judgment-“well done, thou good and
faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21).

Good Listener

When David arrived, Goliath was making his eightieth appearance (1 Sam. 17:16,20). After
his tirade, the text says, “And David heard them” (1 Sam 17:22,23). The previous appearance
had been heard by Saul, Jonathan, Abner, Joab, and David’s three older brothers, but none of
them responded as a good leader should. David not only heard words, but deciphered their
import and relevant response. A good leader is also a good listener, which is key to
understanding issues and their attending resolution.
Motivated

The prior traits were roots for David’s motivation to lead. In talking with the men, he heard
of the incentives Saul had stated for anyone willing to fight Goliath (1 Sam. 17:25,26). I
confess, I would have been moved by any one of the three offerings-tax freedom, wife, and
money. This is only logical: how can one move another if he or she is first moved about a
certain matter?

Determined

Motivation is good for getting started, but often is eroded by confrontation, such as David’s
with Goliath. However, determination is motivation jettisoned by volitional action. When
David’s eldest brother, Eliab, chided and belittled his presence (1 Sam. 17:28), he expressed
his determination when he responded, “Is there not a cause? (1 Sam. 17:29). The apostle Paul
asserts, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able…” (2 Tim. 1:12b).
Good leaders are determined and therefore can persuade others to follow them against
insurmountable odds.

History of Success

A good leader has a resume of accomplishments. In a church setting, this is a testimony.

After talking with Eliab, David was summoned by Saul, who expressed his doubts
concerning David’s youthfulness. This was another example of stereotypical prejudice (1
Sam. 17:31,33; 16:6,7). David’s response was to remind Saul of his past experiences with
God while watching his father’s sheep (1 Sam. 17:34-36a). He concluded by using a
psychological skill of transference- “this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them
[lion and bear]” (1 Sam. 17:36,37). “Yield not to temptation or defeat, each victory will help
you some future one to win.’ That is the essence of David’s history of success testimony.

Self-Worth

It is a lesson worth learning that when Saul gave David his armor, David refused it because
he did not feel comfortable in somebody else’s equipment. “And David girded his sword
upon his armor, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I
cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him” (1 Sam.
17:39).
Several pronouns indicate that self-worth is essential for a good leader of others— “And he
took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in
a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a script; and his sling was in his hand; and he drew
near to the Philistine” (1 Sam. 17:40).

Confidence

Goliath disdained David (1 Sam. 17:42) in similar fashion to Eliab and Saul, who pre-judged
David by externals that had them locked in negative paradigm. Psychology asserts that
humans project their thinking onto others and often misread their skills or character. David’s
response highlights a key element of good leadership—confidence or faith that success can
happen. If you are a good leader, like David, you are confident because the battle is not yours
alone, but the Lord’s (1 Sam. 17:45, 46). Good leaders know, behave and talk with a sense of
their own discipleship and following of the Cosmic Leader who promised never to leave them
alone.

Opportunity Alert

Goliath approached David in anger, according to Ellen White, who in her book Prophets and
Kings states that Goliath was enraged as David defiantly spoke against his words of
intimidation. Per White, this military blunder was the gateway to his downfall as well as
David’s opportunity for victory. A good leader might seemingly be at a disadvantage
according to surface evaluation, but when opportunity presents itself, he will be ready to act.
Benjamin Disraeli, late and former Prime Minister of Great Britain, said, “The secret of
success in life is for a man [or woman] to be ready when his [or her] opportunity comes.”

Lessons learnt from the leadership of David

To be God’s leader requires PATIENCE.

David was anointed as Israel’s king when he was a boy, probably in his early teens. But he
was 30 before becoming king of Judah (which was just part of Israel) and 37 before he was
named king of all Israel, as promised. Having to wait a couple of decades for something
you’ve been promised, that’s rightfully yours, is hard enough. But the existing king, Saul,
spent a fair portion of that time trying to kill David. This forced him to stay on the run, hiding
in caves and fleeing to another country. At least twice, David had a clear opportunity to kill
Saul, and considering the circumstances it could have been considered self-defense. But
David didn’t. He knew that God was in control, and trusted Him enough to wait on His
timing.

To be God’s leader requires Humility.

So you’re a lowly shepherd boy, and you’re chosen as king by the guy who’s in charge of
such things. What do you do?

If you’re David, you go back to taking care of sheep. When he does get called up to the
palace, instead of demanding the throne, he works as a servant. He performs music for the
king whenever Saul demands it, like a human iPod. When his dad asks the anointed king to
serve snacks to his older brothers, he serves snacks to his older brothers. David was humble.
He knew that, even as king, he was still just a servant of the King of kings and the Lord of
lords.

To be God’s leader requires Courage.

When Goliath came out to challenge the army of Israel, everyone was afraid of the 9-foot
giant. Besides being king, Saul was a head taller than any other Israelite (1 Samuel 9:2). So
when the giant Goliath came out to challenge the army of Israel, I’m sure people were
looking to him to do something. Instead, he was “dismayed and terrified” (1 Samuel 17:11),
just like everyone else.

Except for David. The kid brother ends up comforting the scared king, assuring Saul that he’d
take care of it (1 Samuel 17:32). And you probably know what happens next.

David was brave because he knew Who had his back. If you’re on God’s side, then there is
nothing to fear—not even death. Though our giants might look different today, there is
definitely still evil in the world that we need to stand up against. We need not be afraid if our
hope is in the Ruler of the universe.

To be God’s leader requires Faith.

Throughout all of this, David showed that he had faith in God. He believed that God was in
control. God had promised that David would be king, and since he wasn’t king yet, that
meant Saul couldn’t kill him. Same with Goliath. When others brought up doubts, David
pointed to evidence of how God had taken care of him in the past (1 Samuel 17:33-37). He
trusted that God would continue to keep His promises.

To be God’s leader requires Grace.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about David being “a man after (God’s) own heart” is that
he’s just as well-known for his mistakes as his successes. This is someone who slept with the
wife of one of his friends, tried to cover up the resulting pregnancy, and had the husband
killed when that cover-up didn’t work. He abused his power at times, wasn’t known as a great
father or husband, and would sometimes lie when it suit his purposes.

Why would God have anything to do with a lying, adulterous murderer? Really, it says more
about God’s character than David’s. The one thing David did was recognize when he was
wrong and repent. Check out Psalm 51 for one particular instance of him doing so.

Being a good leader doesn’t mean making the fewest mistakes; it means being open about
them and being quick to ask forgiveness and get back on the right path.

Leaders demonstrate courage.

In 1 Samuel 17:7, we read that David, a youth, and the youngest son of Jesse, courageously
tells Saul “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the
bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” He then killed the giant Goliath with
just a sling and with a stone. Today, good leaders need to demonstrate leadership courage.
While not including killing a giant, leaders will need to be able to do such things as make
bold decisions, take risks, deliver unpopular messages to their teams, and honestly provide
feedback and evaluate performance.

Good leaders will experience success.

There were many significant successes in David’s life, actually too many to mention here.
We could talk about his courage, his loyalty, his faith, and his success as king, musician, and
warrior. Christian leaders who experience success should realize that success comes from
God, and thank Him for it. They will also have to learn how to humbly handle success in
leadership.

Leaders are called by God.

John Maxwell has written “No one has ever been called to do something he or she wasn’t
suited for. Calling always matches who you are.” Though an introvert, I am convinced that
leadership is my calling. I have served in leadership positions in the church, business and
professional industry organizations. David was called to be a leader. He was God’s choice for
King of Israel and he was anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 16:13). He was a man after God’s
own heart (Acts 13:22).

Leaders need trusted friends.

Leadership is difficult, and can be lonely at times. Leaders need to have good friends that
they can trust. David had a good friend in Jonathan, the son of King Saul. As David’s
popularity grew (1 Samuel 18:7), Saul became jealous of David. Even when Saul tried to kill
David, the friendship between David and Jonathan remained strong, and they remained loyal
to each other.

Leaders will face opposition.

Eventually, all leaders will face opposition. It could be from a direct-report, a peer or in some
cases even their immediate supervisor. David too had his enemies, one of which was King
Saul. I mentioned above that Saul became jealous of David as his popularity exceeded that of
Saul. We read in 1 Samuel 19: 2 that it was Saul’s son Jonathan, David’s close friend, who
told David that his father sought to kill him. Not every leader will face such a situation of
course, but you will most likely encounter enemies as a leader.

Leaders show mercy.

Leaders often have the opportunity to show mercy or compassion to their direct reports. I
think that is key to servant leadership. For example, you might have a team member who is
missing deadlines, or their quality of work has declined significantly. When you address this
with them, you find out that a family member has been hospitalized and your employee has
been spending a significant amount of time with them in the hospital. A leader has the
opportunity to show compassion and understanding in such a situation. David demonstrated
mercy to Saul. I mentioned above that David had been told by Jonathan that Saul wanted to
kill him. In 1 Samuel 24, we read that David had a chance to kill Saul, but in verse 6 he states
“The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lay
my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.” He also showed respect for his leader
and his position, whether or not the leader deserved it or earned it.

Leaders will experience failure.

Leaders constantly face temptations in the workplace. Not hardly a week goes by without us
hearing about another leader who has experienced a moral failure. This happened to David as
well. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and tried to cover it up, but Uriah, who David
recalled from the war, refused to cooperate. Then, David had Uriah murdered by ordering
that he be put on the frontline of battle. The whole problem started with David not going off
to war like kings normally would in the spring. He delegated it and chose to stay home.

Leaders who fall can repent and be restored.

It is possible for leaders to repent of their failings. Depending on their offense, they may even
be able to be restored to a leadership position. David did not admit his sin until he was
confronted by the prophet Nathan in 2 Samuel 12. After he was rebuked, David confessed
that he had sinned against the LORD. Psalm 51 is a psalm of confession in which David
prays that God will create in him a clean heart, and renew in him a right spirit. In today’s
workplace, it is good to be transparent and right to admit when you’re wrong.

Leaders who fall will experience consequences.

When leaders fall, there are always consequences. Those consequences may include the loss
of family, job, reputation, or in some cases all of the above. For David, the consequences
were devastating, including in 2 Samuel 12: 10 “the sword shall never depart from your
house”, and in v. 11 “I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. But Nathan
leaves perhaps the most painful consequence for last, indicating that the child conceived with
Bathsheba would die.

The leadership of Joshua

The bible stated that Joshua is one of God’s great men. He is the leader of Israel. His
greatness as a leader started with small things with great earnestness. The book Number gave
the actual name of Joshua, which is Hosea (Num. 13:6), which means a Savior. Moses in later
years changed his name to be Joshua which means “saved by God.”

Joshua is Prayerful. A leader in the sight of God, is a prayerful leader. Joshua profess his
faith in prayers. The Bible says, “On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel,
Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you,
moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the
nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in
the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day” (Joshua 10: 12, 13).

Joshua is a Sincere and Humble Leader . Joshua is a peculiar leader, as he shows his
sincerity and humblenesss in midst of the Israelites. In the beginning Joshua was just an
ordinary man, but he did his responsibilities sincerely, and he always has a positive
perspective, and he became the leader of the Israelites.

Joshua’s commitment to the Israelites was done with sincerity and humbleness. God saw the
greatness of someone through his/her character or integrity. Through sincerely and
faithfulness.

Joshua Make God as His Guide.

One true leader in the sight of God, is one whose characteristic is making God as his guide.
There is no better guide than God. As Joshua lead the Israelites, there has been peril and
Joshua has his God to guide him.

Joshua Was A Leader Who Was Willing to Follow – Joshua 1:7

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you;
do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.”
(NIV)

Joshua Was A Leader With a Vision of Hope and Promise – Joshua 1:13

“Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you after he said, ‘The
LORD your God will give you rest by giving you this land.’

Joshua Was A Leader Who Had People Willing to Follow – Joshua 1:16

16 Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and
wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you.

Joshua Was Leader Who Had No Problem Leading the Way– Joshua 3:6-8

Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.”
So they took it up and went ahead of them. And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin
to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with
Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the
Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

Joshua Was a Leader Who Challenged Those around Him – Joshua 18:3

3 So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take
possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you?

Joshua Was a Leader Who Encouraged His Followers to “Check-it-out” – Joshua 18:8

As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, “Go and make a
survey of the land and write a description of it. Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you
here at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord.” 9 So the men left and went through the land. They
wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the
camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord, and
there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.

Joshua Was a Leader Who Had No Problem Expressing His Opinion – Number 14:5-12

Then Moses and Aaron fell face down in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there.
6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored
the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed
through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us
into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel
against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour
them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

Lessons learnt from the leadership of Joshua.

Submit to the Purposes of God. After Moses dies, God speaks, in verse 2: “Moses my
servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the
land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.” God makes it clear that this is His
work. Just as He had used Moses, He will now use Joshua.

Seize the Promises of God. God always keeps His promises, verse 3 says: “Every place that
the sole of your feet will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised Moses.” In verse
5: “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life” and He promises “Just
as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you or forsake you.” We can
count on His presence because it’s His promise.

Stand on the Precepts of God. Two different times God speaks these same words to Joshua:
“Be strong and courageous” (vs. 6, 9). The root word for courage literally means “to put heart
into.” When God sees our fears, He says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called
you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and
through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you” (Isaiah 43:1-2).

Soak in the Presence of God. Joshua needed the assurance that God was now going to be
with him. Look at Joshua 1:5: “… Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will
never leave you nor forsake you.” God says, “My Presence will go with you …Never will I
leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Remember God’s presence will give
you the power to do what He’s called you to do!

Stay on Point with God. In the last chapter of the Book of Joshua, he says, “Now therefore
fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness … choose this day whom you will
serve … as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:14-15). Joshua is
saying, “I have chosen to serve the Lord, I am choosing to serve the Lord right now, and I
will go on serving God until the very end.”

Joshua was a man of courage. Joshua was told four times in chapter 1 to be courageous.
Perhaps he was afraid more times than the passage tells us. But he did not shrink back in fear!
He overcame every obstacle the enemy put into his path and he courageously took a hold of
the Promised Land.

Joshua did not quit. Joshua was a reliable warrior for God. He understood his purpose and
his calling. Rather than focusing on what his eyes could physically see – he focused on the
words of God and faithfully obeyed every command. God uses those who faithfully obey
him.

Joshua did not fight his battles alone. Joshua was not a lone ranger. He did not march
around the city of Jericho alone and none of Joshua’s battles were won all alone. He was a
courageous leader who enlisted the respect of his troops and had thousands of men who were
faithfully fighting alongside him. The people did as he commanded because of his character.

The leadership of Nehemiah

Nehemiah is one of my favorite people in the Old Testament. He was a leader, pure and
simple. Here are several leadership traits that stand out to me that he possessed.

Humble- he ranked high in the Kingdom of Artaxerxes- he was cupbearer to the King. Yet
he understood the stewardship of his role. And arrived in Jerusalem only with the animal he
was riding, when he could have asked the King for many more men to help him and escort
him back.

Compassionate- when he learned of the suffering of his people, he sat down and cried. And
then mourned for days, fasting and praying for his Jewish brothers and sisters in Jerusalem.

Visionary- he immediately captured the hearts of the people to help in rebuilding the walls.
He was a masterful motivator. To show up and be able to rally the people to work together
was an amazing feat.

Strength and courage- when confronted with naysayers and even potential attacks from
those outside the city, he held the people together, spoke with strength and determination and
confidence, and even instructed those building the wall to have a spear in one hand and a tool
in the other!

Organized- Nehemiah quickly assembled working teams to rebuild the wall with haste, and
had people working round the clock to finish the job. Anyone who can lead rebuilding the
wall in 52 days has the ability to organize and stay focused on the strategy at hand.

Integrity- when Nehemiah learned of the way some of the people were being cheated and
sold into slavery by others in the city, he quickly brought light to it and put a new solution
and system in place. He wouldn't stand for the iniquities that had been going on for quite a
while.

Leadership Lessons of Nehemiah

A leader must know the word of God and obey it. Nehemiah showed himself as someone
who knew the Word of God and understood that the Israelites were suffering because of their
disobedience. He admitted that they had acted very corruptly against God, and had not kept
His commandments, statutes, and ordinances which He commanded His servant Moses. He
reminded God of the word He commanded Moses.

A leader must first be a good follower. Nehemiah demonstrated this in his service to his
master, the king, in Babylon, as his personal cupbearer, and as the governor of Jerusalem.
A leader must respond to the call to leadership. A leader must accept the challenge to lead.
After Nehemiah had prayed (Neh 1:5-11), he perceived a call to go and build the wall of
Jerusalem which had broken down and he answered the call. He didn’t ask God to send
somebody else.

A leader must have passion for the work. Great leaders have passion for their pursuits.
Passionate leaders don’t wait for anyone to beg them to pursue their causes. They don’t need
anyone to drive them or motivate them to do what they consider to be the needful. Passion in
a leader inspires him to take off and take on any challenge he meets on the way.

A leader must be able to articulate his vision and communicate it, constantly and
effectively, to the people to run with it. A leader must be able to mobilise his followers
toward achieving the vision. There is no way the followers could pursue a vision of the leader
that is not well articulated and clearly stated.

A leader must never be a soloist; He must be a conductor of an orchestra. He must work

with people. He must delegate authority; he must share out the work. No leader will be
effective as a lone ranger.

Nehemiah identified the critical stakeholders – the priests, the nobles, the rulers, and the rest
of the people that did the work. He said, “And the officials did not know where I had gone or
what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others
who did the work” (Neh 2:16 NKJV). No wonder they cooperated with him except the
nobles of Tekoa. Neh 3:5 says the leaders or nobles of Tekoa refused to help though the
people of Tekoa worked. There were also some disloyal nobles of Judah who were loyal to
Tobiah and were exchanging letters with him (Neh 6:17).

A leader must recognize and acknowledge specific contributions of his followers

towards the accomplishment of a vision or project. He must share credit for the success
with his team. He must never personalize victory.

In Neh 3, Nehemiah took time to highlight the specific contributions of others from the high
priest to the priests, individuals and families; he mentioned specific sections they built. He
detailed what different people did; but Nehemiah’s name is missing. He gave the credit to the
people. That was a great, secure leader.
In Neh 7:70-72, Nehemiah even mentioned the gifts of some of the family leaders, the
governor, the other leaders, the rest of the people gave towards the project. He didn’t try to
diminish their contributions to the success of the project, like some would have done.

A leader must possess courage to withstand opposition, criticisms, non-cooperation and

subversion. This quality is necessary in order to get the job Samballat, Tobiah, and Geshem
opposed the project of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and criticized it. Nevertheless,
Nehemiah was undaunted. He withstood them.

A leader must possess strength of character to speak against evil and oppression and
implement needed reforms. Nehemiah had to confront exploitations of the Jews by their
fellow Jews and ensured this was redressed. He wasn’t afraid of the oppressors but defended
the oppressed (Neh 5:1-13).

Nehemiah also confronted the evil perpetrated by Eliashib the priest, who, in Nehemiah’s
absence, gave a chamber in the court of the house of God to Tobiah, an enemy of the Jews
who tried to prevent the rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Nehemiah sent him packing and
commanded the cleansing of the chamber (Neh 13:4-9).

A leader must have integrity and be selfless. Leadership is service. Leadership is not for
personal aggrandizement or self-gratification. Nehemiah was not after the perquisites of
office. He served the people, selflessly, even using his personal resources and sacrificing his
comfort, rights or entitlements.

In Jerusalem, Nehemiah didn’t allow the privileges of office to corrupt him. He didn’t take
advantage of the people or exploit them. Nehemiah didn’t use his office, as governor, to
enrich himself. Rather, he forfeited his rights, unlike the previous governors. He was not a
burden on the people and did not acquire land for himself Instead, Nehemiah fed 150 leaders
and officials at his table at his own expense. He refused to claim the governor’s food
allowance because the people were already having a difficult time.

God’s leader responds to a call. God has always called leaders. Leaders must hear God’s
calling to lead and respond to that call. Nehemiah understands his leadership as a calling from
God (Nehemiah 2:12b). Nehemiah listened and came to see the need (1:1-4).

God’s leader cares for the people and their situation. Nehemiah listened to the voice of
the people. He showed care for their situation. Nehemiah identified with the people. He
thought in terms of “we” and “us” (2:17, 20). He came to understand and identify with “the
trouble we are in” (2:17).

God’s leader helps define the reality of the situation. When Nehemiah said, “You see the
trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned,” he was not describing
his personal agenda but assessing the common situation faced by all the people. Unless the
reality can be described honestly, progress is impossible. “Nothing is more limiting to a
group,” says Peter Senge, “than the inability to talk about the truth.”

God’s direction and vision are sought by the leader and people.

Nehemiah was always asking God to provide a vision for him. He understood that a true
vision must come from God. It must be a God-inspired and God-revealed vision. Only such a
vision is worthy of leadership. The vision must be “what God has put into my heart” (2:12).
The vision emerged in the midst of a devastating situation. It would have been easier to give
up in despair, but God’s leader always seeks God’s vision, even in difficult times.

Prayer is essential to know God’s will.

Prayer is the fundamental act for people of God. God’s leaders and God’s people must be in
the right place to hear God’s voice. God can speak to us at any time, but if we are not turning
our hearts toward God to seek God’s guidance, it is more difficult for God’s vision to reach
our hearts. The prophet Habakkuk climbed into the tower believing that God had a vision for
him and his people. Habakkuk was willing to wait for the vision, but knew that he needed to
put himself in a position to receive it.

God’s vision is simple. God’s vision tends to be very simple. People build complicated
systems, but God’s will is often extremely simple. For Nehemiah and his people the vision
was captured in three words: “rebuild the wall.” There were many needs, hopes, and dreams
of the people, but God’s vision for the immediate future was captured in rebuilding the wall.
Without this vision, the other needs could not be met.

A God chosen leader is not discouraged by adversity. As they rebuilt the wall, they were
ridiculed and mocked. Their enemies did everything possible to discourage them. They
threatened to tell untrue stories about Nehemiah. Nehemiah listened but persisted. Nehemiah
knew he was “doing a great work” (6:3) and could not come down from the wall to debate
with the enemies. Nehemiah persisted even when adversity came. God’s people cannot give
up when adversity comes.
QUESTION TWO
Taking Century Bottling Company Limited(Coca cola) as my Case study.

Coca-cola was invented in 1886 by an Atalanta pharmacist, John S.

Pemberton . In Uganda, the official bottlers, Century bottling company ltd
started in 1988 by the Bagaalaliwo family in partnership with the coca-cola
international whose head quarters are based in Atlanta-Georgia. However
th
the first bottle came off the line on 5  may 1989.

Coca Cola in Uganda is known as Coca Cola Beverages Africa Uganda, the biggest industry
producing drinks. The company also includes Rwenzori Water.

COMPANY NAME

Century Bottling Company Limited (Coca Cola)

ADDRESS

Plot 964, Namanve Industrial Area, Jinja road century bottling company 2990,
Kampala Uganda Mukono, Kampala
VIEW MAP 

PHONE NUMBER

+256 31 2236500
+256 31 2236125
WEBSITE

http://www.coca-cola.co.ug/en/home/

THE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER.

He has the following characteristics in his leadership.

He is quick at decision making

He displays the ability to make quick decisions. Let’s assume that there is a conflict
between a superior and an employee in the organization. When the HR manager
tries to mediate and put an end to the conflict, he might have to make some
quick decisions. He should be mentally alert and therefore not get caught unawares.
He has Integrity

The HR manager displays integrity. Honesty and frankness are the hallmarks of
a good human resource manager. At no time can the employees doubt the integrity
of the personnel manager.

He is patient

He is extremely patient and not someone who loses his temper easily. While dealing
with employees, it is important to be a good listener, especially when an employee
is voicing his concerns. And good listening skills require a lot of patience.

He has Formal Authority

He depends on his formal authority alone. In fact, an effective HR manager earns

his informal authority of influencing people through his interpersonal skills.

He has excellent leadership skills

Good leadership skills are essential to guide the employees towards achieving the
organization’s objectives. He also keeps people motivated and encourage them to
use their skills for the overall good of the enterprise.

Social Responsibility

He has a sense of social responsibility. Further, he encourages employees to

discharge their social obligations to different segments of society. After all, a good
human resource manager isn’t only about the organization. He also needs to look at
the broader human resource element.

Good Communication Skills

He possesses good communication skills. In fact, since a major part of his role

involves interacting with employees, unions, and management, being a good
communicator is a must.

HEAD OF ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT

Communication Skills
She has very good communication skills. She has to communicate with her clients
and colleagues on day to day basis. Since she is leading a team of accountants, she
requires conveying complex information in an easy manner.
2. Organizational/Management Skills
She has the ability to manage a lot of tasks and responsibilities. In order to ace her
work, she must be extremely proactive and have excellent organizational and
management skills.
She pre-plans all her work and make deadlines in order to complete them on time.
3. Time Management Skills
Time is precious for people dealing with finances. Good time management skills are
extremely important. Since she is leading an accounting team, In order to meet
deadeadline she makes a list of tasks and prioritize them and work accordingly.
4. Instructing and Mentorship
When you are leading a group of employees, it is very important for you to
understand each of their strengths and weaknesses and then guide them
accordingly.
The Head of the Accounting team is a role model and motivates her subordinates to
become better at their jobs. As a leader, she ensures that she is easily available and
approachable to all her teammates.
5. Adaptability
Being an accountant, she meets different types of clients and customers, each of
who requires a different set of ways to deal with yet she’s abless to cope up with all
that.
6. Awareness
She is always up to date with everything that has been happening. She always knows
the latest market trend.
7. Initiative
As a leader she always comes up and take initiatives. This shows that she is
capable of thinking and working on her own. Taking initiatives also shows how self-
confident she is. It also motivates her teammates and helps them trust her more.
Moreover, taking initiatives is a way of continuously growing and developing yourself
for better opportunities.
8. Critical Thinking
The work of an accountant is not just limited to numbers, reporting, laws, and
regulations. She is also required to analyze data, find out trends, and form strategies
accordingly. All of this requires her to think critically.
This skill is something that you develop over time as you gain experience in the
industry.
9. Persuasion Skills
For anyone who is managing a team, it is important to be extremely persuasive.
Being the leader, she represents her entire team in front of the management, and
hence it becomes important for you to put forward the views and requirements of
your team in front of them in a persuasive manner so that it yields better rresults.
She also uses good persuasion skills to deal with her teammates.  As a leader, she
has to persuade her teammates to do certain tasks without being too bossy.
10. Moral and Ethical
Every action that she takes as a leader should be based on the principles of morality.
This not only inspires and motivate her teammates but also helps her build a strong
relationship with the group.

SALES MANAGER
Target fixation.
He is target and deadline driven. As a result, has the natural disposition to fixate his team on
achieving the revenue goals at the exclusion of all else. He blocks out distractions and
compartmentalize negative news that might sidetrack the team or cause the department to
flounder. He keeps his team focused and moving forward with a sense of urgency, regardless of
the circumstances.
Command instinct. 
He has ability to establish firm command over his team by exercising the power his title and
position entail. For example, he holds his team to a higher level of accountability. However, his
authority is not autocratically administered as you might think. Rather, it is based upon
establishing an environment where sales team members continually seek to prove themselves,
thereby driving higher overall departmental performance. He establishes this culture using a
“carrot and stick” psychological approach. Overachievers receive praise and public recognition,
while underachievers are admonished or ostracized until they redeem themselves. In essence,
the command instinct is responsible for creating the peer-pressure and attention-seeking
environment that eliminates complacency.
Hiring ability. 
The ability to hire quality talent will determine the success or failure of the sales organization.
He focuses on hiring salespeople who are skillful builders of relationships, are persuasive, and
have a reservoir of experience they use to control sales cycles.
Control orientation. 
Sales managers who closely monitor and strictly enforce a sales process are more likely to
exceed their quotas, and the best sales leaders seek to control the daily behavior of their sales
teams. Forty-three percent of high-performing sales managers responded that their sales process
was closely monitored, strictly enforced, or automated, compared to 29% of underperforming
sales managers. Forty-four percent of underperforming sales managers indicated they had a
nonexistent or an informal structured sales process.
Coaching adaptability. 
He understands that there is a diversity of selling styles by which salespeople can achieve
success. Therefore, he doesn’t employ a one-size-fits-all coaching style. Rather he adapts their
style to suit each individual.

Human resource manager

Authoritarian Leadership

Authoritarian leadership styles allow a leader to impose expectations and define outcomes.

A one-person show can turn out to be successful in situations when a leader is the most
knowledgeable in the team. Although this is an efficient strategy in time-constrained periods,
creativity will be sacrificed since input from the team is limited.  The authoritarian
leadership style is also used when team members need clear guidelines.

Accountant

Participative leadership

Participative leadership styles are rooted in democratic theory. The essence is to

involve team members in the decision making process. Team members thus feel
included, engaged and motivated to contribute. The leader will normally have the
last word in the decision-making processes. However, if there are disagreements
within a group, it can be a time-consuming process to reach a consensus.

Sales Manager

Delegative leadership
Also known as "laissez-faire leadership", a delegative leadership style focuses on delegating
initiative to team members. This can be a successful strategy if team members are competent,
take responsibility and prefer engaging in individual work.

QUESTION THREE
In the above organization the following are the ways how the human resource manager
as a leader adjusts to situations

Listening - Just because an employee is difficult and gives you a hard time doesn’t mean we
should stop listening and disregard what they say. They can be irritating, but this isn’t the
time to switch off. You need to become more attentive to see where the opportunities lie to
improve the situation, including understanding where the employee is coming from which
virtue the Human resource manager puts into action.

Gives clear feedback – He doesn’t complain about the poor employees without addressing
their issues. He gives his employees clear, constructive feedback on what they are doing
wrong and how they can improve.

Documentation - Whenever there are problems with an employee, the Human Resource
manager always writes down the key points in a record of their behaviour. When it comes to
letting that employee go, he could enough justification and cause to minimise the risk of any
disputes.

He is consistent – He makes sure it’s one rule for everyone, always. He isn’t lenient with
employees as this can lead to employees choosing not to follow regulations.

He is courageous - Firing someone is difficult. But, when you have a just cause, have given
the employee plenty of chances to improve, and their stay is having a negative effect on your
department, it’s time to pull the plug. The best managers do the toughest things with tact as
emulated by the Human Resource Manager of Coca Cola Uganda.

He Controls his fear. Courage doesn't mean the absence of fear, and of course being a leader
certainly doesn't mean charging ahead blindly in the face of adversity. It does mean you can't
allow your fear to become contagious. Your team needs to believe you're in control of
yourself, if they're to have confidence that you can make smart decisions in tough times.

Opens his Ears When Dealing With Difficult People

The thing with difficult people in difficult situations is that sometimes they just want
someone to hear them out, sincerely. When we choose to tune them out, it’s like fueling their
fire.

As leaders, we need to learn to attentively listen to the core issues of difficult people in
difficult situations.
He is Resilient

One of the most significant responsibilities as a leader is to model the way. People pay
attention to you as a manager-perhaps more than you realize—including what you say, how
you react and the decisions you make.

He is empathetic

Leaders who demonstrate empathy tend to foster greater commitment and effort from team
members. Empathy can be either cognitive (imagining what others must be thinking) or
emotional (imagining what others must be feeling). Either way, empathy is critical to
supporting people through tough times.

References

Ahlquist, John S.; Levi, Margaret (2011). "Leadership: What It Means, What It Does, and
What We Want to Know About It". Annual Review of Political Science.

Hadley Cantril (1958) "Effective democratic leadership: a psychological interpretation",

Journal of Individual Psychology 14: 128–38, and pages 139–49 in Psychology, Humanism
and Scientific Inquiry (1988) edited by Albert H. Cantril, Transaction Books.

House, Robert J. (1996). "Path-goal theory of leadership: Lessons, legacy, and a reformulated
theory". Leadership Quarterly.

Cox, Steven L.; Easley, Kendell H (2007). Harmony of the Gospels. B&H Publishing Group.
ISBN 978-0-8054-9444-0. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October
8, 2020.

Cross, Frank L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (2005). Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.
Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3. Archived from the original on May 15,
2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.

Crossan, John D.; Watts, Richard G. (1999). Who Is Jesus?: Answers to Your Questions
About the Historical Jesus. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-25842-9.