I was on smile.amazon.com a few days ago and searched “leadership books.” It gave me 50,000+ results. Did you know there are that many current leadership books offered at Amazon? There were books by Maxwell, Covey, and a myriad of others.
There is no question that some of those books can be a great value to a leader. Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Successful People” is a classic. Likewise, John Maxwell’s “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.” Both are worth your time.
Another source that some people find helpful is TED Talks. Most of the videos are only 10-15 minutes in length. Leadership is one of the key themes addressed in many of the talks. They are free of charge. You can watch them on your smartphone.
While the sources just mentioned can be helpful, these sources are sometimes tainted by pop psychology and faddism. Some of them may sound good but lack the depth that gets to the heart of leadership.
There is another source. Neglected. Cast aside. Sometimes ridiculed.
The one source that has been overlooked by many is the Bible. The word of God is a book about leaders–about prophets, priests, princes and kings. It is about apostles, deacons and shepherds–all leadership roles. While you are not going to be an apostle or a prophet, you can indeed learn leadership lessons from those in the Bible.
The Bible gives us examples of good leaders and bad leaders. The Bible shows how leaders were trained to serve God. It instructs us about mentoring, about selection of leaders, and about what part leaders play in their vital roles as servants of God.
The Bible not only teaches us about leadership, it also gives numerous examples of men and women who were used by God in positions of leadership.
Do you doubt that the Bible is a leadership book? In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul said Scripture is given “that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Is being a leader in God’s kingdom a good work? (1 Timothy 3:1 says it is.) If the Scripture equips us for every good work, then it must equip leaders to do the work God has given them. If we can’t learn from God’s book, then where are we to learn?
Kingdom leaders know where to go to learn about leadership.
(BTW, through smile.amazon.com your purchases can help fund a school or college.)
Max Dawson – August 22, 2019