Moses On Leadership

Exodus 18:17–24 (HCSB)

"What you’re doing is not good," Moses’ father-in-law said to him. "You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone. Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and God be with you. You be the one to represent the people before God and bring their cases to Him. Instruct them about the statutes and laws, and teach them the way to live and what they must do. But you should select from all the people able men, God-fearing, trustworthy, and hating bribes. Place ‹them› over the people as officials of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They should judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you every important case but judge every minor case themselves. In this way you will lighten your load, and they will bear ‹it› with you. If you do this, and God ‹so› directs you, you will be able to endure, and also all these people will be able to go home satisfied."

Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.

I might write a book one day “Moses On Leadership.” We learn some great lessons from Moses on how to be a leader. Yesterday the lesson was: “You cannot please all of the people all of the time.” Leaders are constantly walking the tightrope between “God’s anointed” and being stoned.

Notice some lessons in these verses:

“You cannot do it alone.” In the first place, you can’t do it. Only a self-deceived person thinks he/she can. In the second place, you’ll die trying. In the third place, it’s not fair to the people you lead. There is not enough of you to go around. Someone or something will be neglected. You need help. Some you choose to help you will let you down. Some will disappoint you. Some will even be a problem to you. But you still cannot do it without help.

“Listen to good advice.” You’ll get tons of it! Everyone thinks they are an expert at what you do! But there is some wisdom out there and you owe it to yourself and those you lead to heed it.

“How advice is presented has a lot to do with how it is received.” Criticism is easier to shallow when it comes from someone you know loves you and genuinely cares about you.

No leader has arrived yet. He/she is a person in process. We learn the ropes as we go along. But if we continue to learn, and remain open to instruction, we will continue to progress.