This week many of us watched with certain awe as the celebrations got underway for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. During the Diamond Jubilee Concert in London on June 4, Prince Charles said that this was the nation’s opportunity to thank his mother, and father, for inspiring the nation with their selfless duty and service and for making the people proud to be British.
In 1 Samuel 8:4–20, (11:14–15) we hear the moral failings of Samuel’s sons cause the elders of Israel to seek a new style of leadership.
What would cause you to seek a different style of leadership?
What persuades you to submit to the leadership and the vision of another?
In 2008, as Nelson Mandela prepared to celebrate his 90th birthday, Richard Stengel, author of Long Walk to Freedom, “cobbled together, from conversations old and new and from observing him up close and from afar,” Mandela’s 8 lessons of leadership. They are listed below, but examples of how Mandela embodied these leadership qualities are described in the article “Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership” from Time Magazine.
1.Courage is not the absence of fear – it’s inspiring others to move beyond it
- Lead from the front – but don’t leave your base behind
- Lead from the back – and let others believe they are in front
- Know your enemy – and learn about his favourite sport
- Keep your friends close – and your rivals even closer
- Appearances matter – and remember to smile
- Nothing is black or white
- Quitting is leading too
What might be your 8 lessons of leadership? Believe it or not, as a Christian you are a leader… in your home/ family, amongst your friends, in your place of work and community groups.
(With thanks to Seasons FUSION Tip – Woodlake Publishing)
Love and Blessings
Reverend Shan