Have you ever noticed that flawed leaders tend to make disastrous decisions and tragic mistakes?
It seems like every time I read a news feed; there is an article about some deeply flawed government or business leader who makes a disastrous decision, which leads to a tragic mistake.
The CEO of Daimler-Benz pushed through a merger of Benz and Chrysler despite heavy and persistent opposition in his own company. Nine years later, Chrysler was practically given away in a private equity deal.
Matthew Broderick oversaw Homeland Security operations when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Despite getting 17 reports of levees being breeched, Broderick instead went home for the night after relaying to President Bush that the levees were all holding.
Mighty Enron, with over 4,000 employees, collapsed and is no more because senior executives engaged in a complicated scheme to overstate earnings and hide losses. Enron’s eventual $64 Billion bankruptcy is the largest recorded in US history.
There is also Bernie Madoff, who ran an enormous Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of over $65 Billion. Madoff’s own sons turned him in to the authorities. Bernie is serving a 150-year prison sentence for securities fraud.
Flawed Leaders in the Old Testament
I’m sure it doesn’t surprise you to know that flawed leaders have been making disastrous decisions and tragic mistakes since the dawn of time.
To prove my point, here are six examples of flawed leaders from the Old Testament.
Esau
In Genesis 25, we learn about Esau’s disastrous decision. Esau was the older brother of Jacob. Esau had been out hunting all day, and when he returned home, he proclaimed he was so famished that he was about to die. He begged his brother Jacob for some stew. So, Jacob, the devious brother, made a deal with Esau to give him some stew in return for Esau’s birthright.
Joshua
Joshua’s disastrous decision is recorded in Joshua 9. Some foreigners came presenting themselves as neighbors from a far-off land wanting to make a peace treaty with Joshua. Joshua took their word. He didn’t investigate their claims, nor did he seek the Lord’s counsel. The result was a hastily created treaty with dangerous neighbors.
Sisera
The demise of Sisera is recorded in Judges 4. Sisera was the commander of a large and powerful army who had been oppressing the Israelites for 20 years. The Israelites cried out to God for help, and God raised up Deborah, the prophet, and Barak, the army commander, to defeat Sisera. When Sisera realized his army was defeated, he tried to escape on foot. He took cover in a woman’s tent whom he assumed was friendly to him. In truth, she was an ally of the Israelites. So, she offered Sisera cover, and when he fell asleep, she killed him.
David
Even though King David is described as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), he made his share of disastrous decisions and tragic mistakes. His foremost bad decision is recorded in 2 Samuel 11. Here we read that David began an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. When she became pregnant, David conspired to have her husband, Uriah, killed in battle.
Rehoboam
Solomon was gifted with great wisdom by God because of his desire to rule the Israelites justly. Sadly, Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, did not inherit or learn from his father’s wisdom. After his father’s death, Rehoboam ignored the advice of Solomon’s advisors and listened instead to the advice of his friends. Rehoboam ruled so arrogantly and harshly that the people of Israel rebelled. Ultimately, his harsh rule caused a civil war to break out between the people of Israel and the people of Judah.
Uzziah
Uzziah’s downfall is described in 2 Chronicles 26. He was a talented commander and strategist. He built up Israel’s defenses and trained and equipped a large army. His power became so great that neighboring countries sent tribute to him just to maintain peace. Unfortunately, as his power grew, so did Uzziah’s pride. He thought he could do anything he wanted, including entering the Temple of God to carry out duties reserved for the priests.
Important Lessons
Each flawed leader teaches us a valuable lesson about leadership.
1) Esau teaches us that a leader who makes short-term decisions rather than focusing on long-term strategies will make disastrous decisions and tragic mistakes.
2) Joshua teaches us that a leader who makes hasty decisions without all the facts and without praying for God’s guidance is almost certainly making a decision that will lead to disaster.
3) Sisera teaches us that isolated leaders are especially susceptible to flattery and what looks like a convenient solution. Isolated leaders trust the wrong people; thus, leading to tragic mistakes in judgment.
4) David teaches us that greed and envy are a disastrous combination that will cause any leader to make disastrous decisions.
5) Rehoboam teaches us that the decisions of an arrogant leader will often lead to rebellion. This is especially true if the leader is surrounded by advisors who only say what the leader wants to hear.
6) Uzziah teaches us that pride does indeed come before a fall. Leaders who make decisions driven by pride and their quest for power make disastrous decisions and tragic mistakes.
Flaw Factors
Every one of these Biblical leaders was flawed, yet they had their strengths. Those flaws caused them to make disastrous decisions and tragic mistakes. The cause of their poor decisions centered on emotional factors like greed, envy, pride, and misplaced trust.
Additional factors contributing to their poor decisions include short-term thinking, surrounding themselves with poor advisors, and deciding in a hurry with incomplete facts.
Now, take a moment if you would, and look back at the modern examples of disastrous decisions made by Daimler-Benz, Matthew Broderick, Enron, and Bernie Madoff. Every example contains the very same factors we discovered in our Old Testament examples!
In my opinion, it is a clear warning and signal to us as leaders today. We must be especially vigilant in our decision making, so we don’t fall victim to the same errors ourselves!
More Articles
I have written dozens of articles involving our personal character. You can find them by typing “personal character” in the search bar. In the meantime, here are four of my recent articles on personal character.
- #351: A Christian Leader’s Guide to Dress for Success
- #354: Are You A Neighbor to Your Coworkers?
- #355: To Conquer Self Is to Conquer All!
- #360: Are You Worthy of A Second Chance?
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Have you experienced a flawed leader and their disastrous decision or tragic mistake in your workplace?
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Category: Personal Development | Character
“Greed, envy, pride, and misplaced trust.” So true! Let’s hope that our leaders currently fighting the COVID-19 pandemic rise above these failings and lead us to victory.
From your lips to God’s ears, John! So far I have been pretty disappointed in how divisive some of our leaders have been. Many have put scoring political points ahead of the publics’ welfare! I pray they will put political differences aside and come together for the good of the country!