Leadership

Americans have been saturated with rhetoric surrounding the US presidential election. Throughout the elongated process, candidates promised they were the ideal leader to address the nation’s ills and to bring prosperity. Each candidate made voluminous promises. Each candidate sounded confident and self-assured, it seemed as if our national troubles would soon be at an end. Thousands of party faithful, spent enormous numbers of hours urging people to vote for their candidate. However, anyone who has followed politics for very long realizes that a promise made during a campaign is often not a commitment kept once elected. There are always a million different justifications for why those elected were unable to follow through. Most reasons begin with their opponents, or the change in the economy or unforeseen circumstances. Nonetheless, thinking people soon realize that any hope for their future must be based upon something more substantial than an election promise.

The mark of a great leader is not how well they run an election campaign or how compellingly they promise to make change. Evidence of great leadership is the ability to actually make positive change. Great leaders don’t promise to change the world; they change it. Voters are ready for promises to come to an end and action to commence.

I suppose that is why I like Joshua so much as a leader. He was a man without fanfare or hype. He had no public relations team. He did not poll the people to find out where the popular winds were blowing. He simply did what was right. Nowhere does Scripture indicate what Joshua looked like or whether he was a strong warrior, or if he was a gifted speaker. What we do know is that when he took charge of God’s people they were living in a desert; when he retired they were dwelling in the lush Promised Land. When he assumed command the people had suffered years of failure and decline; when he was done they had experienced a period of unprecedented victory. Perhaps most impressive, Scripture indicates that Joshua served God so faithfully that the people also followed God throughout Joshua’s leadership and even after he died, so impressed were they with how he had served God (Josh. 24:31).

Speaking

As I have led a number of spiritual leadership conferences this month I have been impressed with the intensity with which people have sought to know how their life can make a difference in their troubled world. My father and I led conferences in several cities in October including Georgia and Dallas. We also led seminars in Seoul, Korea. What a delight it was to teach in Seoul and to watch the people faithfully participating. They scheduled us to teach for three solid days and I was impressed with the way the people listened for hours and actively took notes. The people began each morning with heart moving singing. You could see how God has been preparing South Korean Christians to change the world.

Reading

I recently finished reading Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia and Palace Intrigue by Geoff Schumacher. It tells the fascinating story of America’s first billionaire. Having set aviation records and built a massive financial empire, Hughes’ health deteriorated until he was confined to a hotel room on the ninth floor of the Desert Inn in Las Vegas for four years. Hughes directed his massive empire while never leaving his hotel room. He sat naked, emaciated, with unkempt hair and beard. He developed paranoia of germs and became isolated from all but his closest assistants. To avoid appearing in public, Hughes hired Bob Maheu to be his “alter ego” who represented him and his interests to the outside world. The catch was that Maheu would not see Hughes either. He could talk with him by phone but did not meet with him. When Maheu faced a decision involving over 150 million dollars, he panicked and called Hughes insisting that he be allowed to meet with him. Hughes responded, “If you saw the condition under which I have allowed myself to deteriorate . . . If you ever see it, you’ll never be able to represent me again with as much effectiveness as you have in the past. Please promise me that you will let this one die.” Even though Hughes was the wealthiest man of his era, he knew that his representatives could not serve him with confidence if they knew what he was really like. I was reminded of the prophet Isaiah. When circumstances became challenging for him, seeing the One he served completely restored his confidence and changed his life (Is. 6). Unfortunately a close look at many of our leaders today causes us to lose, rather than gain confidence. Be sure to regularly gaze toward the throne of God to see that the King still sits enthroned. That will inspire you for whatever He has called you to do today.

Posted by Richard Blackaby at 11:41 am