Every leader has strengths and weaknesses. Effective leaders utilize their personal strengths and leadership skills a greater percentage of the time than they spend working on improving their weaknesses. Read 1 Kings 10:1-9.

God had gifted Solomon with extraordinary skill, wisdom, common sense, good judgment, knowledge and understanding. It seemed everything he touched was a success story and brought him more fame. The notes in the Maxwell Leadership Bible give us at least one reason why.

Why does God seem to so often choose unlikely leaders? Read Judges 7:16-25.

Gideon was only one of many who were living a normal life working or raising a family when God called them. Yes, they had some human traits that set them apart in some areas but nothing about them would have led even their family to believe that God would choose them to be His representative to lead His people.

If leadership is influence, then people have a natural form of leadership that can be seen almost from birth. Read Genesis 25:26-32:32.

Jacob wielded great influence from the very beginning. He turned Isaac’s household upside down. In Genesis 25 his mother Rebekah, having a difficult pregnancy, inquired of God and found out that the older son, Esau, would serve the younger son Jacob. Now in this culture, that news will stir things up. Later, when seeking a bride, Jacob’s presence and influence turned his uncle Laban’s household upside down.

Adam was earth’s first leader. He was appointed steward over the resources and relationships God had created. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit he became the first leader to fail. So where did Adam go wrong and how can you avoid the same mistakes? Read Genesis 3:6-19.

Leadership requires the willingness to take responsibility for personal and corporate actions. By remaining passive when he should have taken action, Adam allowed both Eve and himself to fall morally. By denying responsibility when God confronted him, Adam damaged all his relationships, spoiled the beautiful garden he lived in, and ultimately devastated all his children and even all mankind.

An effective leader works consistently to become a better communicator. The constant restatement of goals is critical to effective communication. Read Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-6.

Adam was the first spiritual leader. In 2:16-17, before Eve was on the scene, God told Adam, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” As God’s leader, one of Adam’s assignments was to insure Eve knew the boundaries God had established before she was with him.