Effective leaders help their team learn from their mistakes. Read Jeremiah 8:4-7.

The nation of Judah had drifted away from God. The prophet Jeremiah asked the leaders the question, “When men fall down, do they not get up?” meaning why has Judah turned away and not returned. In verse six Jeremiah says that even though God is listening intently no one repents and in fact they have the intensity of a war horse charging into battle to get their own way. God’s charge against the people was that they had less sense than migrating birds because they refused to learn from their past mistakes.

Wise leaders understand the importance of their mind to the future of their organization. Read Proverbs 23:7-19.

In the Maxwell Leadership Bible, John Maxwell discusses Vision: Hope for a Preferred Future:

Have you ever thought about what separates the leaders who achieve victory from those who suffer defeat? What does it take to be a winner? Winning is an inside job. The leader that achieves is the one that first wins the internal battles. Re-read 2 Chronicles 34 and 35.

Josiah remained faithful to his covenant with God throughout his entire life. Some elements of leadership we can learn from Josiah:

An open climate is required to create an environment of learning for any team. If leaders model learning by openly sharing their own areas of growth, their team will feel confident to do the same. Read 2 Chronicles 34:19-33.

Chapter 34 illustrates what happens when an organization learns from history and from each other. Josiah’s reforms affected the whole nation because it spread from priests to the king to the people. Josiah became king at 8 years old. As he got older his devotion to God was demonstrated by his actions and decisions. At age 26 he directed that the temple be remodeled and repaired to display the nation’s honor and dedication to God.