This book attempts to do just that, reviewing the most

inspiring biblical case studies and comparing them to the

challenges faced and conquered by some of todays most
successful business leaders. It should come as no revelation
that the traits and skills of successful Bible leaders are also
those exhibited by the most successful modern leaders:

1. Honesty and integrity

2. Purpose
3. Kindness and compassion
4. Humility
5. Communication
6. Performance management
7. Team development
8. Courage
9. Justice and fairness
10. Leadership development
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON HONESTY AND INTEGRITY
People wont follow leaders they think are dishonest.
You cant expect honest followers if you model dishonesty.
The higher you go, the more visible your integrity or lack of it becomes.
Insignificant dishonest acts usually beget larger acts of dishonesty.
In times of crisis, adversity, and temptation, a leaders integrity becomes
most evident.
Integrity is exhibited in actions, not pronouncements of intention.
Honesty and integrity pay off long-term, though they may involve losses
and sacrifices short-term.
An organization with an ethical code and system of safeguards can
create more consistently honest leaders.
Act as if someone else with more power than you is watching.
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON PURPOSE
Purpose can empower people to reach greater goals than they ever
thought possible.
Great goals are seldom achieved without confronting internal
obstacles and external opposition.
Adversity can quickly stop a leader who lacks purpose, but it only
fans the flames of leaders with a strong purpose.
Think big. Even if you fall short, youll still have accomplished a lot.
Talk about purpose and people will listen, but to get them to follow,
you must act with purpose.
Purposeful organizations are exciting, inspiring places to work.
Purpose inspires even the most mundane task with meaning.
Constantly communicate your purpose, your dedication to it, and the
expected rewards of achieving it.
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON KINDNESS AND COMPASSION
Following the Golden Rule doesnt just make people feel better. It also
builds the bottom line by increasing employee loyalty and productivity.
Reward acts of kindness with monetary incentives and nonmonetary
recognition.
You cant expect employees to treat each other and customers with
consideration if their leaders are treating them poorly.
Sharing the wealth usually pays off in terms of increased commitment
and the creation of a larger pie.
Forgiveness is one of the most powerful actions a leader can take.
In the push to achieve group goals, dont overlook the emotional needs
of individuals; watch over each sheep, not just the flock.
Holding people to high standards and showing them that you care are
not mutually exclusive; they can actually be mutually reinforcing.
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON HUMILITY
A leader is no more intrinsically important than his people, but his
actions are.
No matter how much you achieve or how much acclaim you are given,
you are still human and not a god.
Express sincere (not phony) appreciation for your followers.
Where and who would you be without them?
Recognize the interdependence of yourself and all your followers; the
head is useless without the arms or the feet.
Honor the unique gifts of each member of your team.
As you rise higher, your mistakes have more impact and your need for
a humble perspective actually increases.
Dont hold people to standards you are not meeting yourself.
To humble oneself is risky, but it usually pays off in increased credibility.
A leader is greater than others only insofar as he serves them.
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON COMMUNICATION
To motivate others to reach your goals, you must constantly communicate
your message.
Use a variety of communication methods. Dont neglect the power of face-to-
face communication; its a time-honored method often missing in todays
barrage of impersonal electronic messages.
Effective leaders are equally comfortable communicating to individuals, small
groups, and large gatherings, customizing their approaches for each
audience.
Repetition is an important tool, but use varying words and media so your
message doesnt become stale.
Share information; people will probably find out anyway, but from a less
desirable source.
Use language, images, and metaphors that hit your audience at gut level.
Listen carefully to people and show them youve heard them by responding
verbally or taking action.
Acknowledge bad news and thank those prophets who have had the
courage to deliver it to you.
You do not have to be a naturally gifted speaker.
Communication skills can be learned.
Jack Welch stuttered as a child, and Moses was slow of tongue.
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Constantly communicate performance expectations: before,
during, and after.
Set ambitious but realistic (stretch) goals.
Encourage goal attainment with the promise of meaningful rewards
extrinsic and intrinsic.
Be forgiving of honest mistakes made and risks taken in pursuit of
performance goals.
Celebrate your teams efforts and accomplishments, both as you go
and when you finish.
Give positive and negative consequences in a fair and timely manner,
based on performance, not partiality.
Like David and his mighty men, make team members feel like
owners and partners.
Help employees make the connection between their actions and
bottom-line organizational success.
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON TEAM DEVELOPMENT
A team is a group of individuals who may have different needs but are
pursuing a common, unifying goal.
An effective team is more than the sum of its parts; an ineffective team
achieves less than individuals working on their own might have.
Acknowledge the unique talents and motivation of each team member.
A carefully selected team with complementary strengths outperforms a
collection of talented individuals who are competing to be the star.
A strong leader is empowered, not threatened, by selecting strong team
members.
Remind each team member how his actions contribute to group goals.
Remind team members that even the most powerful, competent leader
cant do it alone and that you need their help.
Actively reward team-oriented actions and attitudes.
Expect resistance to team building. Overcome it with verbal
encouragement and actions that confirm your commitment to the team
approach.
Delegate to team members according to their strengths and
developmental needs.
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON COURAGE
Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting despite the presence of
fear.
Acts of courage perpetuate additional acts of courageby both leader
and followers.
People are inspired by leaders who are realistic about the obstacles but
challenge them anyway.
Stand firm in your beliefsmost honest conflicts can be resolved and the
commitment of both parties strengthened as a result.
When its a close call between risk and safety, leaders go for the risk.
When youre hitting difficult short-tem obstacles, remembering your long-
term goal creates courage.
Adversity energizes and motivates the courageous leader, but quickly
quenches the fire of those who lack courage.
People (and turtles) rarely get anywhere without extending their necks.
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS
If people perceive that they are being treated unfairly, they will stop
performing or they will act like those who are perceived as favoured.
The most credible companies are committed to justice not just in the
workplace but in the communities where they are located.
The most credible leaders believe in fairness to all individuals and groups
and act in consonance with these beliefs even when this is
uncomfortable or difficult.
A concern for the economically or socially disadvantaged can help not
just a leaders credibility but also a companys profitability.
A leader who operates on principles of fairness inspires better employee
performance, loyalty, and retention.
Its not enough to pursue justice. A leader also needs to reverse
injustices and issue deserved rewards quickly.
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Conscious and conscientious development of competent, caring leaders is
critical to organizational survival.
Your personal legacy will not survive unless you entrust it to a successor who
has been well developed and shares your mission and business philosophy.
Constantly assess your leadership bench strength, because accidents and
unplanned events can deprive you of potential leaders.
Coaching and mentoring are keys to the development of tomorrows leaders.
Developmental assignments are the best way to prepare a leader for more
responsibility.
Learning by doing (action learning) carries more impact than verbal transfer
of information.
Orderly successions help ensure that an organization will survive and stay
true to its mission; contentious or unplanned successions can endanger the
organization and its mission.
The best leaders let go gradually, so that the next generation of leaders
can be developed and eventually take over.
The best leaders subordinate their own egos to the ongoing success of the
organization. They wish and actively plan for their successors to surpass
them.