Lessons to Live BySample

You Don’t Have To Go It Alone

Being put in a leadership role can be exciting. There’s validation in having people come to you for guidance, give weight to your perspectives and seek out your counsel. 

In Exodus 18, Moses is stepping up to be judge over the Israelites. They are coming to him with their issues and asking him to give them God’s instructions for the problems they have. When Moses’ father-in-law Jethro sees just how many people are coming to Moses, and how involved he is in the minutia of their lives, he’s aghast. It’s ineffective, and Jethro knows how burdensome it’ll be for Moses in the long run. 

Jethro’s instruction to Moses is a leadership lesson for the ages: he tells Moses to train and delegate leaders to oversee groups of people themselves – to equip people so Moses doesn’t always have to be a go-between for them and God. This lessened Moses’ load and benefited those who picked up new responsibilities. 

As heady an experience as being at the top may be, sometimes the best way to lead is to let others step up. When Moses did that, he could focus on his best work, and the people became less reliant and more independent. 

Does your approach to leadership need tweaking?

Written by LAURA BENNETT