The Bible on Leadership

 The Bible on Leadership

What in heaven does the Bible have to do with leadership? Everything!

The Bible is probably the most widely-read book in the world. It is

revered for its religious precepts and guidance, its wisdom, and its liter-

ary beauty. Read carefully and with another perspective, it is also the

greatest collection of leadership case studies ever written, with tremen-

dously useful and insightful lessons for today’s leaders and managers.

Whatever our religious beliefs, most of us in the Western Hemisphere

are familiar with the Bible’s stories and heroes. They form some of the

major archetypes of our collective consciousness and can serve as uni-

versal examples of leadership at its best (and worst).

Consider some of the managers and leaders of the Bible and the les-

sons they can impart to today’s manager:

❖ Jacob, although inferior in strength to his macho brother Esau,

was able to usurp his brother’s birthright by appealing to ‘‘the power

behind the throne’’ (his mother) to deceive the CEO (his father).

❖ Joseph, cast into corporate exile because of his brothers’ jealousy

of his close relationship with his father, Jacob, was forced to join the

opposition, Egypt. There he was able to infiltrate the court, use his

influence with Pharaoh, and ultimately bring his family and tribe to live

with him, where they became a mighty force. However, the ‘‘merger’’

of the Israelites and Egyptians soon became extremely rocky, creating a

whole new set of leadership problems.

❖ Moses, the man who inherited these problems, was a leader who

spoke so poorly that his brother Aaron had to deliver most of his

speeches for him. But the strength of his vision and his commitment to

Israel’s mission made him the ultimate visionary and a leader the people

would follow through the most adverse circumstances. Many modern

corporations experience adverse conditions, but few are condemned to

wander in a desert (real or allegorical) for forty years. The Burning Bush

is a corporate vision par excellence, and the Ten Commandments are

the ultimate mission statement.

❖ Joshua succeeded Moses, and that transfer of power is an example

of thorough succession planning, assisted by divine intervention. It

would take a great and inspiring leader to replace Moses and lead the

Israelites into the Promised Land. Joshua’s motivational genius and stra-

tegic planning helped the Israelites literally knock down impregnable

fortresses.

❖ Samson is one of the best ‘‘negative case studies’’ in history. He

possessed great physical strength, but had some tremendous ‘‘blind

spots’’ in his interpersonal judgment. The person he most desired was

actually the person he had most to fear and who brought about his

downfall. Samson was literally ‘‘blindsided’’ by an enemy he thought

was a friend, and who also happened to be a member of the opposite

gender. There are a lot of lessons in this story for today’s business leader.

❖ Job had more troubles than any modern corporate executive, yet

he stuck to his faith and his vision. His ‘‘case study’’ can teach the

modern executive a lot about sticking to your vision despite obstacles,

suffering, and doubters.

❖ Jesus, the son of a carpenter and born in a manger, rose to found

the most populous religion on earth. Jesus’ communication skills were

consummate. He was able to cogently communicate new and revolu-

tionary ideas using parables instead of direct explanation, and he was

able to answer Pontius Pilate’s loaded questions without appearing a

traitor to Rome or a posturer to his own people. (Pilate: ‘‘Are you King

of the Jews?’’ Jesus: ‘‘You say I am.’’) The Sermon on the Mount is a

beautiful example of motivational communication, which influenced

not just the small assembly there but millions of people in millions of

assemblies since. His work with the disciples was some of the most

astute team-building ever accomplished. And his mastery of the sym-

bolic act gained him the largest following of any leader before or after

him.

The Bible is full of these and other leaders—kings, prophets, war-

riors, strategists, and visionaries. It is a story of prophets true and false,

fortunes gained and lost, organizations ascending and crashing. Its literal

truth has been questioned, but its lessons and stories have been em-

braced as universal archetypes that influence the way we live our lives

on a deep psychological, spiritual, and symbolic level.

So why shouldn’t this biblical wisdom on leadership be applied on a

business level? This book attempts to do just that, reviewing the most

inspiring biblical ‘‘case studies’’ and comparing them to the challenges

faced and conquered by some of today’s most successful business leaders.

It should come as no ‘‘revelation’’ that the traits and skills of successful

Bible leaders are also those exhibited by the most successful modern

leaders:

❖ Honesty and integrity

❖ Purpose

❖ Kindness and compassion

❖ Humility

❖ Communication

❖ Performance management

❖ Team development

❖ Courage

❖ Justice and fairness

❖ Leadership development

The emphasis of this book is on business, and most of the modern

case studies depict business situations. But the Bible also has lessons for

leaders in politics, athletics, the arts, and yes, even religion. You should

find this book useful whether you are leading a business unit, a political

committee or task force, an athletic team, a symphony orchestra, or a

religious institution such as a church or synagogue (you have one of the

world’s best management tools, the Bible, at your fingertips—why not

use it to help you lead your ‘‘stakeholders’’?).

Whatever your arena for leadership, it is my most fervent wish that

in studying the leadership challenges of the great figures of the Bible,

you will receive the instruction and inspiration to meet your own lead-

ership challenges.