Skilled leaders encourage their team by recognizing their contributions. Read Mark 12:41-44.

Jesus was in Jerusalem in what would be the last few days of His earth-bound life. During those days He spent some time in the Temple interacting with the people. On one of those occasions He was watching people put their offering into the treasury box. When Jesus saw a poor woman drop in two coins that would not equal a penny, but were all she had to live on, He called His disciples to Him and pointed out this woman’s sacrificial gift, giving her a great compliment. Jesus understood the importance of celebrating other’s sacrifices.

Wise leaders understand the importance of celebration after a major victory. Read Nehemiah 12:27-43.

The small contingent of Jews under Nehemiah’s leadership had accomplished the impossible task of rebuilding over one mile of wall around Jerusalem in 52 days. They had taken heaps of rubble and transformed them into a massive wall complete with impressive, fortified gates and several guard towers. The people had worked through exhaustion and with their enemies threatening attacks day and night.

The story of Deborah is one of courage, singleness of purpose and quiet confidence in God’s revealed will. As a prophetess, Deborah led Israel with the strength and wisdom that came from a deep relationship with God. Read Judges 4.

Israel faced an intimidating enemy. Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army, had 900 iron chariots and other armaments heavy enough to crush any and all of Israel’s weapons. From a human point of view, Israel didn’t stand a chance.

Ultimately to be considered competent and effective a leader needs to get the job done. Joshua’s assignment from God was to conquer the land and divide it equitably among the tribes. Read Joshua 11:1-19:51.

In his seven-year military campaign to take the land, Joshua conquered 31 kings. His strategy was to first conquer the cities in the center of Canaan, thus driving a wedge between the northern and southern cities. Once Joshua had conquered the center cities he turned to the southern cities and then finally to the northern cities. This kind of extended military campaign took extraordinary planning to keep the military flanks and the home front protected, the supply lines open, the troop movements coordinated and the communication clear and concise.

Several leadership books talk about establishing momentum. Jim Collins’ book Good to Great helps us picture business momentum as a very heavy flywheel that is very difficult to move at all for the first few turns but as one success stacks on top of another the weight of the flywheel begins to assist the forward motion and the movement of the flywheel is almost self sustaining. In fact in the physical world, it now takes work to stop a flywheel that is in motion. Read Joshua 10:16-43.

As God gives Joshua one military success after another, the Israelite army begins to experience a momentum they could not have described just months before. In the notes in The Maxwell Leadership Bible, John Maxwell calls this The Law of the Big MO. Maxwell states: