The Bible is all about relationships. God is a personal being who has paid a great price to make it possible for us to enter a relationship with Him through the merits of Jesus Christ. He wants this relationship, in turn, to be made visible in our relationships with others. The leader that ultimately wins in this lifetime isn’t the one with the most toys but the leader with the best relationships. Read 1 Kings 19:19-21.

This passage marks a permanent transition in the lives of two men. When Elijah approached Elisha and threw his cloak around this young man, they both knew that their lives would change forever. Elijah had become a mentor and Elisha his disciple, and this relationship continued to grow until Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind three years later (see 2 Kings 2:1-15). Read more »

Every great leader has the ability to relate to their team and people in their sphere of influence. If you want to be a superior leader, you must learn to connect with people. Relational leadership dramatically raises your influence as a leader. Team loyalty requires that you relate with your team through empathy, understanding, truth, fairness, respect, and mutual accountability. If a leader will give of themselves in these areas to their team, their team will be loyal and will follow their leadership anywhere. Ignore the need for connection and your leadership influence will be limited or a disaster. Read 1 Kings 12:1-24.

King Rehoboam had an opportunity to make some reasonable concessions to the people of the nation of Israel in the early days of his leadership that would indicate he understood their situation, empathized with their circumstances and would be fair in his leadership. Even when the previous king’s closest advisers counseled Rehoboam that he could win the people’s hearts forever by lightening their workload and tax burden, he turned a deaf ear to the people’s need. Read more »

A leader must learn how to relate with their team both as a group and one-on-one. The stronger the leader’s relationship, their connection with the individuals, the more likely there is loyalty, unity, and good work relationships of the team to the leader and to each other. If a leader determines it is the team’s responsibility to work to develop these relationships, it will fail. Effective leaders take the responsibility to take the first steps to connect with their team. Read 1 Kings 12:1-24.

Solomon died and his son Rehoboam was put on the throne. Solomon had been a great king but in his later years had shifted from serving the Lord and fairly treating the people to more self-centered leadership. Solomon had taken the throne from his father David with the nation’s momentum moving in a positive direction; Rehoboam was taking the throne with the nation’s momentum moving in a negative direction. Some enemies Solomon made in his later years were attacking from outside Israel’s borders. Jeroboam, a one time insider on Solomon’s team that Solomon had physically driven from the country, was poised to attack the new king’s authority from within. It was critical for Rehoboam to develop solid connections and good relationships with key members of his team and to make his first few decisions benefit this fledgling coalition and the nation as a whole. Read more »

Even the most fair, consistent leaders will have situations when jealousy among their teammates changes the dynamic of their team. When a leader has been fair and consistent in their actions toward the team, they can generally restore order by fair and just application of the established practices, policies, and procedures. If the proper team is in place, the team order is restored because consistent behavior and fairness cannot easily be questioned without someone openly showing greed or selfishness that sets them apart as the culprit. However, add any inconsistent behavior on the part of the leader and the situation has the potential to be blown out of proportion and teammates will react in ways that destroy team unity. Read 2 Samuel 19:9-20 and 19:38-20:2.

Absalom, the king’s son who led the rebellion against David, was dead and it was obvious to all the tribes of Israel that David was still God’s choice as king and firmly in a position of power. The tribes that had supported Absalom knew they needed to do something to demonstrate loyalty to David or face potential retaliation for their rebellion so they determined to send a delegation to escort the king from exile back to the palace in Jerusalem. When David heard about the intentions of the rebellious tribes he sent word to leaders of Judah, his tribe, and suggested they join the others in escorting him back to the capitol. Read more »

Hebrews 12:14-15 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Every leader could find reasons to be bitter. You will have an idea stolen by someone that prospers, you will make one mistake and an unforgiving boss delays or eliminates your potential for promotion, you have your reputation damaged or destroyed by an unethical co-worker and the reasons for bitterness can go on and on. Effective leaders seek God’s grace and do whatever has to be done to destroy a bitter root in their emotions before it can grow and cause trouble. Read 2 Samuel 13 and 14.

Absalom appeared to be a born leader. Not only was he the son of a king, but he also possessed exceptionally good looks and a winsome personality. His sensitivity to the felt needs of the masses enabled him to win their loyalty. Unfortunately, Absalom used his influence to lead people in the wrong direction. He organized a revolution against his father, King David, which ultimately resulted in his own tragic death. Read more »