Moses is regarded as one of the greatest leaders in Jewish history. I did a post on him a few months ago titled Reframing Responsibility. It proved to be quite popular and I’d recommend you read it. The Bible documents three individuals who helped shape and define Moses’ leadership legacy. I believe you need these three types of generational influences in your life to be a successful leader as well.
(1) The Jethros: It is important to have mentors in life. You can learn a lot from people who have been where you are heading. They have the experiences and the scars to share with you. Their counsel and wisdom will save you the frustrations and pain they had to endure on their journeys. They can see further than you can and encourage you when you are struggling. A mentor has something that you admire and lack but you need to be discerning to locate the right ones. The good ones are great teachers. The Bible tells of the word of advice that Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, offered him when he noticed that he was in danger of burning himself out trying to single-handedly minister to a whole nation. Moses was wise enough to appreciate the advice and apply it which improved his leadership effectiveness.
(2) The Aarons: These are your peers. The ones who belong to your generation and they are also the ones who know you best. Our closest friends fall in this category. The Bible states that “as iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Prov 27:17). “He who walks in the company of the wise is wise but he who walks with fools will suffer harm” (Prov 13:20). It is important to choose wisely those we keep as companions because of the impact of their influence on us. Aaron was not only Moses’ brother but also his closest ally and friend during his leadership years in the wilderness.
(3) The Joshuas: The fruit of great leadership is reproducing other great leaders. It is a shame if, as a leader, you fail to invest in young leaders to take the leadership baton from you. This is the best way to have a great leadership legacy. There is a generation of future leaders coming behind you and it is important that you influence them to be better and greater than you. Just as you have learnt from the earlier generation (the Jethros), it is important that you build and train those who will exceed your accomplishments. Moses equipped and developed Joshua to be a mighty leader. Joshua was able to do what Moses could not, which was to take the Israelites into the Promised Land.
One reply on “Moses’ Team”
I definitely appreciate this breakdown of the necessary players in a winning team.
Also, lot of times we tend to forget to establish our Joshua’s, but hopefully after this article, the 21st century leaders will key into the necessity of setting up our mentees for success, even moreso.
Good stuff, Prof, good stuff.