Effective leaders find a way for their team to win. Good leaders will give whatever it takes; they find a way to achieve their goals. Read Genesis 29:16-30.

Jacob worked seven years for his uncle Laban for the hand of his daughter Rachel, a woman he loved. On their wedding night Laban substituted his older daughter Leah and Jacob did not discover the deception until the morning after.

God always keeps His promises but in His time and in His way. Leaders who have prayed about an issue and received a promise from God need to trust and not doubt. Leaders tend to doubt when they look only at circumstances rather than trusting in God. Read Genesis 18:9-15 and Genesis 21:1-7.

Sarah was 89 and Abraham was 99 and they were still childless. Sarah, ease dropping at the door of their tent, heard a visitor tell Abraham that within a year he and Sarah would have a child. When Sarah heard this she laughed to herself. Who wouldn’t have? Their circumstances were impossible. At just the moment of fulfillment to a life of clinging to God’s promise, Sarah doubted. Every leader needs to hear what God said to Sarah in Genesis 18:14 “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

A leader who can solve problems will have influence. We would like to believe that this influence would be positive but that is not always the case. When a leader solves problems from a core of bad character or with the wrong motivation and selfish ambition they will become a negative influence. Read Genesis 16:1-16.

Abraham and Sarah had a problem. They were past the child bearing age and Sarah was barren. God had promised them offspring that would grow to be as numerous as the sands of the seashore and the stars in the sky. It did not appear God’s promise could be fulfilled unless Sarah took matters into her own hands. Sarah saw the problem and felt compelled to solve it. Sarah decided that God’s promise to Abraham could be solved through a child from her servant Hagar.

When defining leadership, many people have used the very succinct definition by J. Oswald Sanders where he simply states “Leadership is influence.” Every leader has a sphere of influence, people to whom their influence is direct and an extended sphere of influence where their influence is transferred through the next generation. According to Genesis 6:9 God chose Noah to be an influencer of an entire world starting over because “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time and he walked with God.” Read Genesis 6-11.

Just a glimpse at Noah’s sphere of influence comes when we understand a few facts about Noah’s life.