#429: True Leadership Requires More Than Competency and Skill

Leadership certainly requires both competency and skill, but true leadership requires much more in God’s economy!

There are hundreds of leaders worldwide who have demonstrated competence and skill but lacked a crucial trait. Here are but three examples, one from politics, religion, and business.

 Mohamed Suharto, President of Indonesia (1967 – 1998)

Suharto was a charismatic man who became the second president of Indonesia. Early in his rule, he implemented many social programs that made him very popular among the citizens. A strong anti-communist, Suharto won the West’s support, enabling solid economic growth that improved their citizens’ health, education, and living conditions.

However, with all that economic expansion came graft and corruption in Suharto’s administration—the likes of which had never been seen before. Over the years, he embezzled $15-35 billion! The only way to do anything in Indonesia was to pay bribes to Suharto’s officials.

When the Indonesian economy collapsed in 1998, Suharto was forced to resign. Two years later, he was charged with embezzlement but died before he could be tried.

Jim Bakker, Televangelist (1974-1987)

Along with his wife, Tammy Fae, Jim Bakker founded the PTL Club, a late-night talk show. As their broadcasting empire grew, the Bakkers added a satellite television network and the Heritage USA Amusement Park.

The Bakkers lived a life of shameless glitz and glamor until two scandals brought them down. The first scandal was accusations of rape from a church secretary and hush money paid to cover it all up. The second scandal was the misappropriation of ministry funds that were so extensive as to bankrupt the ministry. Bakker was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 45 years in prison (later amended to 8 years).

Bernie Madoff, Investment Advisor & Financier (1960-2008)

Madoff founded Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, a penny stock brokerage, in 1960. Over time, Madoff’s legitimate business became the largest Ponzi scheme in US history. Bernie bilked investors out of an estimated $65 billion.

Madoff’s own sons turned him in to authorities, and he is now serving a 150-year prison sentence.

Like so many other leaders, Suharto, Bakker, and Madoff all started well, but their success led to their demise along the way. They were competent and had skills but lacked one essential leadership ingredient.

These and hundreds of leaders from all spheres of life are like Israel’s leaders in the Old Testament.

The Manifold Failure of Israel’s Leaders

The Old Testament prophets Hosea, Amos, Micah, Zephaniah, and Habakkuk each called out the leaders of the nation of Israel for their poor leadership.

• Hosea accused the leadership of Israel of being a corrupt leadership apparatus. He said they “fervently love disgrace,” they were a “band of robbers” “who lie in wait for a man to murder” (Hosea 4:18-6:9). He described the leaders as making “a king glad with their wickedness and lies” (Hosea 7:3).
• Amos said the leaders of Israel were as corrupt as the pagan nations surrounding them. He accused the leaders of Israel of oppressing the poor, crushing the needy, and completely ignoring the sacred things of God. These leaders, said Amos, were guilty of perverting justice and being corrupt (Amos 2:6-12).
• Micah accused the leaders of Israel of vast corruption and leading the people astray. He said they were “abhorring justice and pervert all equity,” “building up Zion with bloodshed,” “judging for a bribe,” “teaching for pay,” and “divined for money” (Micah 3:5-11).
• Zephaniah said the leaders of Israel deserved God’s harsh judgment. He accused the leaders of Israel of being “roaring lions” and “evening wolves” who “polluted the sanctuary” and “violated the law” (Zephaniah 3:3-5).
• Habakkuk cried out to the Lord, asking Him to intervene because of the perversion of justice, destruction, violence, strife, and conflict that abounds in Israel (Habakkuk 1:22-4).

Despite the specific warnings from these prophets of God, Israel’s leaders failed to repent because they all lacked one essential leadership trait.

True Leadership in God’s Economy

Leadership requires both competency and skill, but in God’s economy, one additional thing is required: a humble nature focused on God.

That humble nature focused on God was missing in Suharto, Bakker, and Madoff. But unfortunately, it is also what was missing from the leaders of Israel that the prophets of God spoke against.

True leadership is focused not on building a legacy of accomplishments. Instead, true leadership is a matter of personal integrity and a heart committed to God. Of course, strength, competence, and resourcefulness are also good. However, when the moral component of leadership is missing, leaders become corrupt, interested in building their own legacy more than building up the people they serve.

More Articles

I have written several articles on a leader’s character. You can find them by typing “Character” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorites.

• #416: 7 Must-Have Skills of Highly Effective Godly Leaders
• #403: Is America On the Same Destructive Path as Babylon?
• #383: 4 Essential Character Traits of Smart Reentry Leaders
• #373: Do You Deal with Temptations in The Workplace?
• #372: Flawed Leaders, Disastrous Decisions, and Tragic Mistakes
• #360: Are You Worthy of A Second Chance?

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. For example, have you known leaders who were not true leaders because they were missing this critical attribute? If so, what impact did their leadership have on the organization?

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Category: Personal Development | Character