CHAPTER 15
LEADING FROM THE FRONT
So many leaders base their role in an organisation on the maxim ‘follow me I’m right behind you’, which relates more to a military type relationship as of a general to a private than a leader /disciple relationship. In the military connection the responsibility can and is often shifted to the lesser ranked person whereas the leader/disciple relationship, the leader is always responsible. So many aspire to leadership but are not willing to take the responsibility that comes with it. Leadership, by definition, means that more often than not, you are in front, in the forward lines, that you are visible, and your followers take their approach, attitude and direction from you.
In the book Judges we read the story of Deborah who judged Israel at a time when the Israelites turned from God and His judgement led to the country being overrun by Jobin, king of the Canaanites. For twenty years Jobin ruled with an iron fist until-
And she (Deborah) sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. (Judg. 4:6-7)
It is all very well for a leader to give commands and to order others to do things, but there are times when words alone are not enough.
And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.
And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. (Judg. 4:8-9)
Barak had the manpower, the know-how and the ability to do the job, but his security and confidence lay in Deborah, she was the chosen leader of Israel. Any hesitation on the her part could quite easily have been interpreted as doubt, not only in her ability as a leader, but also in the prophetic Word of God, but there was no hesitation, no shock or withdrawal at all in Deborah. She judged Israel, she was Israel’s leader and the burden was hers and hers alone. Her position did not place her above leading from the front even though she was a woman in a, largely, patriarchal society.
Standing back and waiting on others to fulfil your role can have dire consequences as we see in the kingship of both Saul and David.
Confronted with the army of the Philistines, and the taunts of the giant Goliath, Saul procrastinated not knowing what to do. For forty days, Goliath contemptuously teased and taunted the Israelites with his imposing presence, forty days in which Saul hid in his tent, afraid. Saul was not a small man –
And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. (1Sam. 10:23)
Saul was taller and stronger than most and yet he refused to confront Goliath. Along came David, young and unafraid. Surely, when the Israelites saw this upstart go out to meet Goliath, and then defeat the giant, what disdain, perhaps even contempt, they must have felt towards Saul. There on that battlefield the seeds were sown for Saul’s downfall. It was there that the roots of bitterness towards David took hold in Saul’s heart. No longer did the people see him as their invincible leader, as someone who would do when no one else could, as someone who was irreplaceable, as someone to look up to and to place confidence in. David without intention had, in one bold move, cemented his place as a leader in the minds of the people.
And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. (1Sam. 18:7)
Even Jonathan, Saul’s son switched allegiances, forming a covenant with David to protect and help the shepherd boy.
When it comes to leadership, there is only one place to be, out in front. Yes, each leader has his talents i.e. administration, planning, strategy, and each will, undoubtedly, excel in one or more areas, but when ‘the chips are down’, when things get tough your team will judge your heart and your inner strength to continue against all the odds. Your talents and abilities will not matter much. Even your title will not account for much. Who you are in a tight situation will define your leadership. Fortitude or your courage in adversity is what will count. Hiding behind your followers with excuses about their shortcomings will only alienate you and undermine their confidence.
It is in adversity that you show your mettle. It is in those difficult times when you will stand alone, much like David before Goliath, Job on the ash-heap, Daniel before the lion’s den, when your character, your convictions and your strength of heart are put to the test that determine the success of your leadership. Those are the times when your leadership ability will be truly examined by those in your charge, and every one of them will be looking to you, studying your reaction, gauging your strength.
All your training and experience should be geared towards those moments. Learn to trust in yourself and what has been invested in you. Be convinced in your own mind that what you are doing is right.
To Joshua, God gave instruction and advice that carried him through many troubling times during the conquest of Canaan:
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Josh. 1:8)
When times are tough and you feel alone with everyone looking to you to stand up and be counted, remember you are not alone. In Hebrews we have God’s promise to us:
…..for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebr. 13:5b)
To get back to the maxim: “follow me I’m right behind you”, there are times within the general and private or employer/employee relationship when the anointing for leadership falls upon the lesser rank, those times when the duly appointed leader does not have the necessary direction, insight or ability to go further. These are times when one can leapfrog others into a leadership role. I am not saying or advocating dislodging of leaders, they are appointed by God to their positions and rebelling against them brings you into opposition with God, what I am saying is that within their leadership role there is a place for someone else to give advice and direction, even take command in certain circumstances.
Joseph is a prime example of someone who excelled at being second. Most of us want to be boss, the top dog, the man, but success can be achieved from a lesser position.
Of all the sons of Jacob, Joseph, the youngest was the most favoured, and he had no hesitation in showing it off. As a seventeen year old, his father made him a tunic of many colours, which only heightened the tension and fuelled the jealousy that already existed between him and his brothers, and then, to top it all, young Joseph had a dream, in which he saw his brothers, represented by sheaves of wheat, bowing down to him – a dream of him reigning over them all. And Joseph with the foolishness of youth could not wait to tell his kin about it.
Again he dreamed, this time of the sun and moon and eleven stars all bowing down to him and once again he innocently let his enthusiasm get the better of any wisdom he might have had and he recounted the dream to his brothers, this time even angering his father, Jacob.
A grand vision of what was to come, spoiled by unwise words, and an over active tongue.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Prov.18:21)
Joseph’s tongue almost cost him his life as his brothers wanted to kill him, only the intervention of Reuben spared his life and saw him sold into slavery. For most this would have been the end, but God had planted a vision within Joseph, a vision to be the best despite his circumstances, to rise above the limitations of the world and its order, to use his abilities to achieve heights that few would have. For many, being a slave in such a harsh society would have ended all hope, but for Joseph, the lower he was the higher he could climb. Slavery was only a starting point.
In Egypt, the captain of the guard, Potiphar bought him and in Potiphar’s house, Joseph was a huge success, and found favour in his master’s eyes. Promoted to overseer or steward, Joseph had the run of the house, controlling the finances, the other slaves, the purchases, in fact, he was in charge of all subject only to Potiphar himself.
It would seem that he had learnt his lesson and kept his tongue in check. He quickly adjusted to the idea of not being in the number one position, but this did not stop him from wanting to be the best by giving his best.
Just when things seemed to be going well for him, Potiphar’s wife made a play for the handsome Joseph, and he ran from her advances. Jilted, she laid false charges against him and Joseph ended up in prison.
Down again, this time even lower than a slave, a prisoner, and once more he had enough reason to give up, but for Joseph it was just another stepping stone to greatness. With hindsight it is easy to see that if he had remained in Potiphar’s house, Joseph would undoubtedly have disappeared into obscurity, died lonely and unknown, but Joseph had had a vision of what God was going to do for him and he clung to the belief of something better and remained faithful to his principles, to his God knowing that:
With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his. (Job.12:16)
In prison, Joseph so impressed the warder, that he was given charge of the prison, the prisoners and all that happened there. Once again he prospered, only giving account to the prison keeper.
It was while in prison that Joseph had the chance to use his gifts, and he seized the opportunity to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and Pharaoh’s baker both of whom had been imprisoned by Pharaoh. Their dreams became reality, the cup-bearer being restored to his position, while the baker was executed.
It would take another two years before Pharaoh heard of Joseph’s ability as an interpreter of dreams from his cup-bearer, and summoned Joseph to the palace. Impressed that Joseph could interpret his dream and give wise advice, Pharaoh made him Prime Minister over all the land, subject only to Pharaoh himself. Once more Joseph found himself second in charge.
With the turn of events, and in fulfilment of Pharaoh’s dream, the Middle East found itself in the middle of a crippling drought and Joseph’s family was forced to seek food in Egypt to survive the resulting famine. Their travels in search of food led them to the Prime Minister’s office where they met and bowed down to the now powerful Joseph. So his childhood dreams of them bowing down to him were fulfilled.
What is interesting about the life of Joseph is that he never became the boss. He was always number two, in Potiphar’s house, in prison, and in Pharaoh’s court, there was always someone more important than him, a trend that continued even when it came to the naming of the tribes of Israel. While each of his brothers was acknowledged as head of one of the tribes, Joseph’s name does not appear. That honour went to his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, but mention the sons of Jacob, and Joseph stands head and shoulders above them all, the most successful ‘reject’ of all time.
Joseph diligently applied himself, to being the best that he could. By using his talents to the best of his ability, his efforts were rewarded and he achieved more than all his brothers combined. One trait that stands out in Joseph’s early years, his arrogance, had all but vanished by the time he had reached Potiphar’s house. Each of us, in our dealings need to learn lessons, some are harder, some easier, but progress comes with each step we take and then applying that which we have learnt.
Like Joseph, we must be on the lookout for opportunities to improve ourselves and our position, irrespective of circumstances, because as believers, the greater our position, the greater our testimony especially if we have to start, like Joseph, from below the bottom rung, in a pit with nothing.
You may never become boss, you may never have a title, you may never have your own money, but you do have your talents and abilities given to you by God.
And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.(Ex.4:2)
And with that rod Moses turned the waters of the Nile to blood, opened a way through the Red Sea, drew water from rock, and led his people to freedom. Use what God has given you, to the best of your ability, irrespective of your position and reap the rewards.
Leadership is a position of the heart. If your heart is in the right place, you can lead from anywhere.