When Joseph’s brothers realized that the one they had betrayed could now do with them as he pleased, they feared payback. Instead of retaliating, Joseph did the unexpected; Joseph blessed them and empowered them to complete the task that had brought them to Egypt. Read Genesis 45:4-7.

Each of us can learn from Joseph traits that will empower our leadership to go to the next level. Joseph had several qualities that made him an empowering leader:

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.

Throughout history, when delegating leadership responsibility, God has looked for individuals with specific character traits rather than certain skills or physical qualifications. Read Genesis 6:5-7:1.

Humankind had grown so evil that God pledged to destroy it and all living things on earth (6:7). But the Lord’s pronouncement of judgment did not come without hope; God chose Noah, a righteous man, a man whose everyday actions indicated that he lived out his belief in God, to take the lead to save a remnant.