For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 2:6

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Biblical leadership principles for living God’s way.

Archive for the ‘Managing Criticism’ Category

Are your team members afraid to give you counsel? (104-3)

Leaders must be teachable and surround themselves with individuals who are not afraid to give them counsel even when they are not in the mood to receive it. When they do, God is honored. Read 2 Kings 5:1-15.

Naaman was an outstanding military leader and had won the favor and respect of his king and commander in chief. Yet for all his strength and influence, Naaman suffered from the disease of leprosy. When Naaman learned of a Hebrew prophet named Elisha who might be able to help him, he requested and received permission from the king to contact Elisha concerning a miracle healing. Based on his position and his later reaction, his expectations were of some grand healing in the courts of a great man. Read more »

Do you struggle with the deep-seated need for personal image? (91-5)

Yesterday we looked at David’s choice to be a God-pleasing leader instead of a people-pleasing leader. Today we look at the actions of a people-pleaser. Read 2 Samuel 6:16 and 20-23.

Michal was King Saul’s daughter and as one of David’s wives, she had a fair amount of influence in the palace. She had grown up as royalty and was trained to be very image-conscious. When she saw David’s display dancing before God and the common people in his undergarments, she turned on David and ripped him for acting so unsophisticated. In verse 20 she states, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!” Read more »

Are you proactive or reactive in your leadership? (73-1)

Every leader will have emotional highs and lows and decisions will have to be made during each of those periods. During the high emotional times it is easy to be proactive and during the low emotional times it is natural to become reactive. Unfortunately, the reactive times may hurt a leader personally and their ability to lead effectively. Read Numbers 20.

By this point in their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, Moses felt unendurably weary of the complaining, the stagnation, and the lack of progress among the people. He was running on empty. Every leader knows the feeling. In Moses’ weakened emotional condition, he made a decision that cost him his future. Read more »

Do you handle criticism effectively or poorly? (71-4)

When you are in leadership, criticism and confrontation will come with the territory. Read Numbers 12:3-14.

During the time the Hebrew nation was traveling in the wilderness, Moses married a non-Hebrew woman. This was a society where having several wives was accepted but the problem was Moses did not choose a Hebrew woman. We do not know if this foreign wife had converted to Judaism but we do know it caused major dissention in Moses’ family and leadership team. Both Aaron and Miriam confronted Moses and gave him a sharp rebuke. God ultimately intervened and confirmed Moses’ position but there are some things every leader can learn from this incident. Read more »

© 2009 Barry Werner