A good leader is first and foremost a follower of God who wears a crown of humility and derives his values and strength from the Lord. Below are some of the qualities of a good leader:
1. He is a servant to others. When Solomon died, his counselors advised his son, Rehoboam, “If
you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant them
their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants
forever” (1 Kings 12:7; cf. Matt. 20:25-28; John 13:13-17; Phil. 2:3-4).
2. He seeks God’s righteousness as his rule for judging others. “Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to
the king’s son. May he judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted
with justice” (Ps. 72:1-2).
3. He cares about the poor and needy. “He [the king] will deliver the needy when he cries for help,
the afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the
poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save. He will rescue their
life from oppression and violence, and their blood will be precious in his
sight.” (Ps. 72:12-14).
4. He governs with integrity and skill. Of David, it is written, “So he shepherded them according to the
integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands” (Ps. 78:72).
5. He rules by wisdom. “By me [biblical wisdom] kings reign, and rulers decree justice.
By me princes rule, and nobles, all who judge rightly” (Pro. 8:15-16).
6. He displays impeccable judgment. “A divine decision is in the lips of the king; his mouth should
not err in judgment” (Pro. 16:10; cf. read Deut. 17:18-20).
7. He brings stability by adhering to justice. “The king gives stability to the land by justice, but a man who
takes bribes overthrows it” (Pro. 29:4).
8. He governs by loyalty and truth. “Loyalty and truth preserve the king, and he upholds his throne
by righteousness” (Pro. 20:28).
9. He governs in righteousness. “It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, for a
throne is established on righteousness. Righteous lips are the delight of
kings, and he who speaks right is loved” (Pro. 16:12-13).
10. He should be honest. “Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool, much less are lying
lips to a prince” (Pro. 17:7).
11. He punishes the wicked. “A wise king winnows the wicked, and drives the threshing wheel
over them” (Pro. 20:26).
12. He associates with honest and gracious persons. “He who loves purity of heart [i.e. has honest intentions] and whose
speech is gracious [i.e. kind speech], the king is his friend” (Pro. 22:11).
13. He searches to find the facts of a matter. “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of
kings is to search out a matter” (Pro. 25:2; cf. 18:13).
14. He preserves the rights of others by clear thinking. “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink
wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink, for they will drink and forget what
is decreed, and pervert the rights of all the afflicted” (Pro. 31:4-5).
15. He surrounds himself with wise counselors. “Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of
counselors there is victory” (Pro. 11:14).
16. He educates and delegates responsibility to trusted persons. When Moses began leading God’s people, Israel, he overextended
himself and began to burnout. Scripture states, “It came about the next day
that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from the
morning until the evening” (Ex. 18:13.). Moses’ father-in-law saw what was
happening and said, “Why do you alone sit as judge and all the
people stand about you from morning until evening?” (Ex. 18:14). Moses explained
the people were coming to him and that he felt compelled to help them (Ex.
18:15-16). Moses’ father-in-law answered, “The thing that you are doing is not
good. You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with
you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone” (Ex. 18:17-18).
He advised Moses to educate God’s people concerning His statutes and laws and
then select honest men who would serve as judges to the people. He said, “You
be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God,
then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in
which they are to walk and the work they are to do. Furthermore, you shall
select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who
hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders
of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. Let them judge the people at
all times; and let it be that every major dispute they will bring to you, but
every minor dispute they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you,
and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing
and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and
all these people also will go to their place in peace” (Ex. 18:19-23). It is said
of Moses, he “listened to his father-in-law and did all that he had said” (Ex.
18:24).
As believers, we are always to pray for those in leadership positions. Paul writes, “I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
REFERENCE: https://thinkingonscripture.com/2018/09/08/contrasting-good-and-bad-leaders/
