#402: Is Good Leadership More Than the Exercise of Power?

I detest dictatorial leaders on a power trip; they think they can do no wrong. They believe everyone under their command is there to serve their every whim. The power of leadership has gone to their heads!

Thankfully, I have only worked with two dictatorial leaders throughout my entire career. One seemed like a nice enough guy, but it was always his way or the highway when things got difficult. Meanwhile, the other guy was just plain evil. You sensed it the minute you met him. He would cut you down just for sport.

Power-Hungry Leaders in the Bible

Throughout the history of man, there have been dictatorial leaders who exercise absolute power. Such leaders were commonplace in the ancient world; many are documented in the pages of Scripture.

A few of the most infamous men include:

• Haman set out to annihilate the entire Jewish population.
• Abimelech, who wiped out all 70 of his brothers purely to solidify his power as king.
• King Herod, who thought nothing of killing anyone who crossed him, also ordered the death of all Hebrew children under two years old.

And the women were just as deadly in their quest for power:

• Jezebel, who hatched several wicked schemes to help her husband, Ahab.
• Athaliah, who was Jezebel’s daughter, wiped out the entire royal family so she could become queen.
• Herodias ordered John the Baptist’s death because John stood up against the incestuous relationship between Herodias and King Herod.

The world may recognize and even reward this leadership, but God has a different standard for leaders.

Godly Leadership Is More Than Power

Godly leaders realize that in His eyes, leadership is far more than exercising power. Solomon, writing in Proverbs, recounted God’s expectation of rulers,

“It is by me that kings reign and rulers enact just law; by me, princes lead, as do nobles and all righteous judges” (Proverbs 8:15-16).

Wise leaders who follow God are both just and righteous in their exercise of power. Godly leadership is the measured use of power to accomplish what is both righteous and just.

Solomon continues in Proverbs as he describes four components of Godly leadership.

4 Components of Godly Leadership

God gifted Solomon with extraordinary wisdom, so Solomon understood very well what God expected of leaders. In the book of Proverbs, Solomon described how a righteous leader was to use their power justly.

His description of the leader’s responsibilities included both positive and negative actions. Solomon described a Godly leader as one who promoted righteousness, was discerning and encouraging, and opposed evil.

1) Promote Righteousness

The leader does what is right themselves and promotes righteous behavior among their followers. A Godly leader knows their example of righteous behavior is essential.  They surround themselves with other righteous leaders.

“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice, when the wicked rule, the people groan” (Proverbs 29:2).

2) Be Discerning

Perhaps one of the most significant challenges any leader faces is knowing who is telling the truth and who is not. Every decision a leader makes is based on their ability to discern right from wrong, fact from fiction, which is critical.

“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out” (Proverbs 18:15).

3) Be Approachable

Some leaders put a scowl on their face before they get out of bed. Who wants to work with someone who looks ready to tear your head off? Godly leaders, who trust in the Lord, know their countenance makes a difference in the way people feel and how they approach their work.

“When a king’s face brightens, it means life; his favor is like a rain cloud in spring” (Proverbs 16:15).

4) Oppose Evil

We live in a fallen world. There is no shortage of people willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want in life. A Godly leader does not shy away from their responsibility to oppose evil whenever and wherever they encounter it.

“When a king sits on his throne to judge, he winnows out all evil with his eyes” (Proverbs 20:8).

Leadership is Not About Misuse of Power

Godly leadership is not about exercising power to achieve selfish ends. Instead, Godly leadership seeks righteousness and justice for the people.

Good leaders realize their primary responsibility is to advance what is right and oppose what is evil, stand for what is right, and firmly oppose what is wrong.

To be this kind of Godly leader, the leader must set an example of righteousness and demand it from others, they must be able to discern right from wrong, they must remain approachable, and they must oppose evil at every opportunity.

More Articles

I’ve written a few other articles on power and influence. If you want to read them, you can type “Power and Influence” in the search bar or click on one of the links below.

• #390: Are Certain Positional Leaders Destroying Our Society?
• #131: How Space Mountain is Like Following Jesus
• #130: The Higher You Climb the Harder You Fall
• #108: What One Thing are 99.2% of Leaders Doing to Hurt Results?

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. Have you worked for leaders who focused on using power for their own selfish ends? How did their leadership impact the organization?

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Category: Relationships | Power/Influence