Have you ever worked in an organization where a foolish leader felt like they could get away with doing whatever they wanted?
I have.
Years ago, I worked for a man, who we’ll call Tom for this article. Tom thought he could run his organization anyway he wanted. He rigged sales contests so the person he wanted to win unsurprisingly won. He tried to fire several strong performers just because he didn’t like them. Tom lied to superiors by forging reports. And Tom, a married man with kids, even carried on an affair with an employee!
Tom seemed to get away with all this until one fateful day when the bosses discovered what was happening. The company gave Tom 30-days to find a new job working for someone else!
Tom was a foolish leader who thought he could do whatever he wanted. He chose to lead to satisfy his passion for power and lust.
It turns out there were consequences for his poor decisions. For Tom, the consequences were a lost job and a subsequent divorce. For the organization, the consequences were increased turnover, low morale, decreased productivity, and lower sales!
Foolish leaders like Tom abound in our businesses, governments, churches, and non-profits. No sector of the economy is exempt!
Foolish leaders even existed in Biblical times. Several foolish leaders are portrayed in the Bible who made the same mistake of thinking they could get away with anything they wanted.
Foolish Leaders in the Bible
The Old Testament recounts numerous examples of foolish leaders who thought they could get away with doing whatever they wanted. Often, these were leaders who started strong. They followed God, and His commands carefully. However, eventually, they strayed from God and started leading their way. And that’s when the trouble started.
Let’s look at just two Old Testament examples of foolish leaders, Gideon and Sampson.
Gideon’s Foolishness
Most of us are familiar with Gideon. God came to Gideon telling Gideon to save the people from their enemies. Gideon didn’t believe God picked him, so Gideon tested God twice (Judges 6).
Eventually, Gideon believed God, summoned an army, and conquered their enemies.
Gideon’s military success caused him to become prideful. He took credit for the victory and collected the spoils of war. From the gold he received, Gideon made a priest’s ephod and led the people in worshipping the ephod and away from worshipping God.
Along the way, Gideon married numerous women and had several concubines. One of these concubines was a Canaanite woman in direct disobedience to God (Deuteronomy 7:3). Gideon fathered a son, Abimelech, with this very concubine.
After Gideon died, Abimelech murdered the families of both his mother and father.
The consequence of Gideon’s prideful lifestyle was direct disobedience to God, worshipping idols of foreign gods, and ultimately, leading his family and the people of Israel away from God.
Sampson’s Foolishness
Sampson is another Bible character whose story many of us know well (Judges 13-16). From before he was even born, God had a special plan in mind for Sampson. God picked Sampson to lead the people of Israel against their Philistine oppressors.
Sadly, Sampson’s life was characterized by his lustful passion and severe lack of self-discipline. He saw a Philistine woman and had to have her in marriage. Before they were even married, this woman turned on Sampson, married another man, and Sampson then took his revenge, killing thousands of Philistines.
Having learned nothing from the disaster with the first Philistine woman, Sampson fell for another Philistine woman, a prostitute named Delilah. Delilah took bribes from the local Philistine leaders to turn Sampson over to them.
Sampson was captured, blinded, and forced to tread grain in a mill like an ox. His final act of revenge on the Philistines came at the cost of his own life.
God picked Sampson to be a judge and deliverer for the people of Israel. God supernaturally equipped Sampson for the task. Yet, sadly, Sampson’s lust and lack of self-discipline prevented him from achieving all God had for him.
Gideon and Sampson were both picked by God to do a specific work. God equipped them for their task. Yet, both men were foolish leaders thinking they could get away with doing whatever they wanted and not bear the consequences.
They were both wrong!
Foolish Leaders Today
Look around at the leaders you know today. How many are ignoring God and God’s call on their lives? How many are being foolish thinking they can lead anyway they want and do anything they want?
As I look around, I see far too many foolish leaders in business, governments, and even our churches and non-profits. God may have called them to do specific work, but pride, lust, a lack of self-discipline, or some other sin of this world is keeping them from being all God called them to be!
As a society, we cannot afford foolish leaders. We must be leaders fully committed to God. We must be the light that shines before men and draws others to the Father (Matthew 5:14-16).
More Articles
I have written dozens of articles on character. You can find them by typing “character” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are four of my favorites.
- #373: Do You Deal with Temptations in The Workplace?
- #348: What Kind of Legacy Are You Leaving?
- #240: Here’s Another Nice Mess You’ve Gotten Me Into!
- #181: Pressure, Pleasure, Power, Pride, and Priorities Lead to Failure
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Do you know any foolish leaders who feel like they can do anything they want, facing no consequences? What impact do they have on the organization?
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Category: Personal Development | Character
