Leadership begins with a leader’s thoughts even before their actions. When a leader’s mind and attitude are right, they position themselves to lead well. Read Proverbs 8:1-36.

Solomon uses language in Proverbs 8 that is related to developing an exceptional skill but when translated into English the word wisdom is used. Not all leaders think about wisdom as a character trait that needs to be carefully cultivated just as they would develop and cultivate a skill. Certainly, wisdom often comes as the result of long experience but the leader who gains wisdom by making poor decisions and learning from them is farther behind than the leader who seeks the right kind of wisdom from the start. Read more »

An effective form of communication used in the Proverbs is juxtaposing the lifestyles of two opposites. Leaders can learn a lot from the comparison of the ant from the insect world with the human sluggard. Read Proverbs 6:6-11.

Every leader is probably familiar with the instinctive work habits of the ant to gather and store food during the summer months so they have enough to survive during the winter, but leaders may not be as familiar with the word “sluggard.” The dictionary definition is someone that is lazy; somebody who avoids work or physical exertion. Read more »

All leaders will eventually serve the area that has their passion no matter what their job. Read Psalm 63:1-11.

Psalm 63 expresses the passion that energized David’s life. David’s job was being the king of Israel. His passion was serving God. He thirsted for God. He remembered God in the daytime and at night, and his thoughts constantly returned to God’s love and care. David’s passion was often demonstrated in his job and that is why David accomplished an astonishing amount in his four decades as ruler in Israel and is held up as a great leader in God’s book. Read more »

Christian leaders must balance their identity as a child of God with their self-confidence. Read Psalm 8.

How self-assured should a leader be? When does a leader’s confidence become arrogance? God has stated that He hates arrogance and loves humility but leadership by its very nature requires a large dose of self-confidence and that kind of self-confidence can be dangerously close to arrogance. Additionally, leaders can display a healthy, godly self-confidence for years and then after a few successes begin believing their own press clippings and actually morph a healthy self-confidence into arrogance. This can be a very tricky area for Christian leaders. Read more »

One of the basic things that separates a leader from those who desire to follow is their perspective and vision. Read Job 19:25-27.

Job had a profoundly different perspective and vision for life than did his friends and his wife. Job maintained an eternal perspective. He believed his redeemer lived and after his death he would still see his creator. (This may be one of the earliest Biblical references to the resurrection.) Job, after having lost everything from an earthly perspective and with a painful skin disease threatening to take his own life, cast a vision for a reality after the grave. Even after his friends told him if he had lived better he would not be in this condition and his wife told him to curse God and die, Job did not abandon his eternal perspective. Read more »