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The Character of Leadership: Daniel

In this study of the character of leadership, I find myself thinking about “the character of characters.” A “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story and is an example from whom we can learn, but it is also a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. When we study the character of that character – identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead – we learn things about the character of leadership that can be applied in our own lives. In this week’s episode, we are learning from Daniel.

We live in a world in which compromise is often the easier path. When the pressure is on, or it’s going to come at great cost or sacrifice, it can be very difficult and challenging to do the right thing. And so it becomes easier to compromise. That may be because we want to be accepted by others, or we don’t want to fail, or we want to look like we know what we are doing, or the cost is too great, or for lots of other reasons. Regardless, it just becomes a pressure that we are not able to resist and so we compromise. That’s one of the things that I love about Daniel. He made a decision, a decision of integrity before he was ever in a situation, so that he was prepared to stay strong and not compromise what he knew to be right.

Daniel was a teenager when he and others like him were taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army. He was hand-selected because of his capability and his connections as someone who was part of the noble class in Israel, and placed into a forced system of education that was intended to prepare him to be a servant leader in service of the king. But Daniel chapter 1 and verse 8 tells us that Daniel had “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.” He had made the decision early in his life that regardless of what came his way, he would remain faithful to the values that had been instilled in him in obedience to his Creator, God.

And, of course, the test came, as it always does. He and his friends, along with the other captives from other nations, were given a diet of rich foods as part of their lifestyle in preparation for their service. Daniel‘s problem was that he knew the law of God, and he knew that the diet that he was being given was contrary to the diet that God had required of the Jews for their health and well-being, and to demonstrate their relationship to him. So he knew he could not follow that diet, and he decided that he would not compromise, and instead put God to the test in front of the world. God rewarded his faithfulness, and Daniel became the most successful graduate that this training system had ever produced, serving is one of the highest leaders in the country, not just for Nebuchadnezzar, but also for two successive leaders after him.

One of the most important lessons that you and I learn from the life of Daniel, and in particular from his early experience after being captured by Nebuchadnezzar, is the importance of integrity. Daniel committed himself to integrity, which meant that he was committed to living out in his actions the values that he believed. That is absolutely critical and crucial to your success as a leader. As my dad would say, and as I have often quoted on this website and podcast, “Your walk talks, and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk, talks.“ Your integrity is demonstrated to the degree that your actions reflect the values you say you believe. Be a leader of integrity by living a life consistent with your faith, and do it boldly in front of others, regardless of what the potential cost may be. God will be faithful to ensure that your life fulfills the greatest purpose that He has for you, and your responsibility is to honor his faithfulness to you by being faithful to Him.

I think this is one of the most important lessons of character we learn from any character in the Bible. It reminds me of something else my dad would say: “It’s right to do right because it’s right.“ You will be marked in the world around you by your level of integrity. Do what is right in every circumstance, even if you stand alone and no matter the cost. Live your life without compromise.

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Quote Your Dad

“Your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”

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Podcast, Season 2, Episode 45: The Character of Leadership: Ezra

In this study of the character of leaders, I find myself thinking about “the character of characters.” A “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story and is an example from whom we can learn, but it is also a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. When we study the character of that character – identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead – we learn things about the character of leadership that can be applied in our own lives. In this week’s episode, we are learning from Ezra.

Here is the link to the podcast.

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The Character of Leadership: Ezra

In this study of the character of leadership, I find myself thinking about “the character of characters.” A “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story and is an example from whom we can learn, but it is also a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. When we study the character of that character – identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead – we learn things about the character of leadership that can be applied in our own lives. In this week’s episode, we are learning from Ezra.

It’s going to be fair to say that the book of the Bible that has had probably the greatest influence on my leadership in the last 15 years is the book of Ezra. I even wrote a book about it! It all started when I came across a specific verse, Ezra 7:10, which says, “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (‭NKJV‬‬) I remember when that verse jumped out at me, and I found personal significance in the meaning of it.

Ezra, the person, does not actually show up until about halfway through the book that bears his name. The book itself is the story of the return of the people of Israel to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and restore the people’s relationship to God. In the first half of the book, Zerubbabel leads the people of Israel back to Jerusalem during the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia, to rebuild the temple. Because of the obstacles they faced, it took years before that was accomplished. It is after that was done, that Ezra leads a second group of people back to repopulate Jerusalem, and to restore the heart of the people to God.

There are a lot of leadership lessons that I have drawn from the book of Ezra, and from the life of Ezra himself, all of which you can read in my book, “Leadership Ezra,“ available on Amazon, but I think the foundational characteristic for Ezra‘s leadership is found in that verse, Ezra 7:10. In this verse, we see how it is that Ezra had prepared himself for the responsibility he would be given.

In this single verse, there are four things that we can learn. First, he had prepared himself. It was intentional, and something that he actively participated in and pursued. Before he even knew what responsibility he would have from the Lord, he had done the work and taken the time to prepare himself for whatever that would be. In the same way your leadership doesn’t happen by accident, but rather as a combination of how you have prepared yourself and how God has prepared you. Second, his preparation began with building his knowledge, learning the right things in order to prepare himself for when the need would arise. As a follower of Jesus, it’s critical to note that the foundation of his knowledge base was knowing God. He studied scripture and spent time cultivating not only his knowledge of God, but his relationship with God. His knowledge gave him the capability to lead. Third, he practiced what he preached. He lived what he knew, and believed in the practices and actions of his life, this reflected integrity in his character, and gave him the credibility to lead. Finally, out of his capability and credibility, he stepped up and taught the people from what he knew, he showed the people from how he lived, and he led them to where they needed to be.

What a great lesson for us from the character of this character. In the same way, you can prepare yourself to lead by learning, living, and then leading from who you have become in that process. This is true generally speaking about who you are as a person, but I hope you will take it to the deeper level that Ezra did, and make it the model of leadership that stems first and foremost from a deep relationship with God. Just as it says about Ezra in Ezra 7:10 – prepare your heart, learn it, and live it, and then you can lead.

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Quote Your Dad

“Lead from your strengths.”

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Podcast, Season 2, Episode 44: The Character of Leadership: Ehud

In this study of the character of leaders, I find myself thinking about “the character of characters.” A “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story and is an example from whom we can learn, but it is also a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. When we study the character of that character – identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead – we learn things about the character of leadership that can be applied in our own lives. In this week’s episode, we are learning from one of the judges of Israel, Ehud.

Here is the link to the podcast.

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The Character of Leadership: Ehud

In this study of the character of leaders, I find myself thinking about “the character of characters.” A “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story and is an example from whom we can learn, but it is also a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. When we study the character of that character – identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead – we learn things about the character of leadership that can be applied in our own lives. In this week’s episode, we are learning from one of the judges of Israel, Ehud.

Although I am certain that I read through this part of Judges before this, the story of Ehud first really caught my attention in a grad school Hebrew language class, when the final exam consisted of translating Judges 3:12-30 from Hebrew to English. I ended up going back and rereading the story and was fascinated that I hadn’t ever given it any attention. Over the years, when I taught junior high and high school students, it was a great passage for me to use to get this age of students interested in reading and engaging with the Bible. This character, Ehud, was unique, and his story reveals some fascinating character traits, and one of the best ones for us to learn from is that he knew how to use his strengths.

What made him unique was the fact that he was left-handed. It’s not clear in Scripture, but given the culture of the time and place in which he lived, it may have been because his right hand was disabled. Regardless, he was not viewed as a threat because of this physical attribute. So when the Israelites had been captured and were being oppressed by the Moabites, he was chosen to bring tribute to the king of Moab (it’s worth noting that God had chosen him as the deliverer of the people, therefore, even if the people didn’t recognize this, his selection was part of God’s plan). Because he was left-handed and not viewed as a threat, he hid a dagger under his tunic, strapped to his right thigh. And here’s where the story gets wild.

After meeting with the king, he asked for a few minutes to speak privately with him, so the king sent everyone else out of the room. The king then went into his “cool private chamber,” which may have meant he went to the bathroom. While there, Ehud came into the room, said “I have a message from God for you,” pulled out his dagger, and stabbed the king in the stomach. The Bible states that the king of Moab was a “very fat man,” so much so that the 18-inch dagger disappeared into the king’s belly, and he died. Ehud left, closing and locking the door behind him. The king’s servants were afraid to unlock the door because they thought the king was doing his private business, so by the time the king was discovered as dead, Ehud was long gone. With the king dead, Ehud returned to his people and led them to victory in battle against the Moabites.

Can you see why this story captured my attention and was such a great teaching tool for junior high and high school students? There were a number of lessons from this story that I would use for students, but there is one in particular that is relevant for leaders, and it’s this: use your strengths. Ehud could have tried to be like everyone else, but his strength was in his left hand, not his right. Using his own strengths, which were different than others’ strengths (and could have even been considered a weakness in someone else), enabled him to succeed in the way and in the place that his strengths were needed, and therefore enabled him to work at his best. What a great lesson for me and you. Know who you are and how you operate, know what you do well and what you don’t, then use your strengths so that you can function at your best. That’s the example of Ehud’s leadership from which we can learn. The character of this character is a reminder to us that we need to lead from our strengths.

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Podcast, Season 2, Episode 43: The Character of Leadership: Jacob

In this study of the character of leaders, I find myself thinking about “the character of characters.” A “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story and is an example from whom we can learn, but it is also a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. When we study the character of that character – identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead – we learn things about the character of leadership that can be applied in our own lives. In this week’s episode, we are learning from Jacob.

Here is the link to the podcast.

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The Character of Leadership: Jacob

In this study of the character of leaders, I find myself thinking about “the character of characters.” A “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story and is an example from whom we can learn, but it is also a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. When we study the character of that character – identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead – we learn things about the character of leadership that can be applied in our own lives. In this week’s episode, we are learning from Jacob.

I love that one of the accompanying ideas in the Bible that goes along with its inerrancy is the fact that the Bible tells the truth about people. It doesn’t sugarcoat what happens, and it doesn’t ignore the bad or the ugly It doesn’t paint biblical characters as superheroes or as models of perfect perfection (outside of Jesus), but portrays who they really are and what they really experienced, both the good and the bad. Jacob is one of many characters about whom that is very obvious.

From the moment of his birth, Jacob seemed to be selfish, conniving, and deceitful. He was fighting with his brother before he was even born. As a young man, he took advantage of his brother to take away his birthright. With his mother‘s help, he deceived his father to take the blessing that was supposed to go to his brother. He deceived his father-in-law to get the best of the sheep as his own. Now, to be fair, he wasn’t always the instigator or initiator, like when his mom pushed him to get his brother‘s blessing or when his father-in-law tricked him into marrying a different daughter than the one he asked to marry. But his faults are still glaringly obvious.

However, one of the positive aspects of his character that is revealed in his journey is his tenacity. He worked for decades to get the woman he wanted as his wife. He spent a long time carrying out a plan to grow his herd of sheep. But his tenacity became most obvious when he was returning home after years away, but before he got there, he wrestled with an angel of the Lord (perhaps the Lord himself?). His tenacity was on full display when he wrestled all night to win favor from the Lord, and it didn’t end until the being that he was wrestling with touched him and dislocated his hip socket. In that experience, his name was changed to Israel, and he became the father of sons who would become the tribes of Israel.

There are things that we can learn from the character of this character, and, like a lot of people that we learn from, they can be negative traits or characteristics. But I would challenge you to focus on his tenacity, his unwillingness to give up even when the fight has been long and tiring. Plans don’t usually come to fruition quickly, so they require someone who can envision the long-term outcome and will stick to it, even when obstacles threaten to derail it. Yes, there are times when you need to change direction, or throw your plans out and start all over, but at the same time, there will always be obstacles and opposition that threaten a plan that needs to be carried out. Have the kind of tenacity that Jacob had, standing strong and moving forward, and see the blessing that the Lord will bring. If you are going to take anything from the character of this character, take his tenacity.

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Podcast, Season 2, Episode 42: The Character of Leadership: Joseph

In this study of the character of leaders, I find myself thinking about “the character of characters.” A “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story and is an example from whom we can learn, but it is also a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. When we study the character of that character – identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead – we learn things about the character of leadership that can be applied in our own lives. In this week’s episode, we are learning from Joseph.

Here is the link to the podcast.

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