Lessons in Leadership: Joseph

There are over 300 definitions of leadership but the one I find most helpful is by J.R. Clinton:“a leader is a person with God given capacity and with a God-given responsibility to influence a specific group of God’s people toward God’s purposes for the group."

Christian Leadership is needed to be able to inspire and influence people toward achieving a God given goal.  All of us are called to be leaders in some area of our lives. Some are in more prominent positions, move visible to the public and they tend to get most of the attention.  But as believers in Christ we are called to lead people to him, to set an example, to inspire people and influence them to pursue the things that will be pleasing to God.  The life of Joseph provides many valuable lessons on leadership.

Joseph’s family and his past did not determine his future.

Joseph was born into a family that had was divinely called and separated from other families.  His grandparents Isaac and Rebekah and his great grandparents Abraham and Sarah had tremendous experiences with God that were orally passed on to their children and grandchildren.  There was a godly heritage that influenced Joseph to be a follower of God.  But there was also problems in the family, dysfunctional in many ways that could have destroyed Joseph or led him in a direction that would have led to his demise.

“Consider all the “negatives” in his background: Joseph was the child of Jacob, a polygamist who had four wives that rivaled each other; Joseph had ten stepbrothers born to three very competitive mothers; he and his younger brother shared the same mother, and Joseph’s grandfather Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Leah, who was not Jacob’s first choice. Additional negatives include two other mothers in the home who were surrogate moms, Joseph lost his mother when he was young, and Joseph’s father favored him because he was the son of his old age and the first child from Jacob’s first love. But that only brought Joseph bitterness and hatred from his brothers. Despite such a background that today would have yielded an alcoholic, a drug addict, a psychotic, or a narcissistic personality disorder, Joseph rose to remarkable heights in leadership.” Pollard

Joseph did not let his family or his past determine his future.  He made a decision to not let the negative factors become his identity.  None of us have been raised in perfect families.  We all come from families that have issues, degrees of dysfunction and imperfections.  Joseph did not let these negative factors become the guiding forces in his life.  He chose to follow after God.  God is not hindered by our past nor is he restricted in any way from taking us out of negative junk to use us for his divine purposes.  Our past does not have to determine our future!

Joseph’s life was guided by a God given dream.

Joseph was only 17 when he had the dream of the sheaves bowing down to him and later the stars bowing to him.  This was a huge dream that he did not fully understand until years later.  Yet this dream was etched in his mind in spite of his brothers and his father throwing a wet blanket on him to snuff out the dream.  To be a leader one has to have a dream or a vision inspired by God of something worth achieving.  Without a vision there is no need for leadership because you are not going anywhere, there is no destination or goal to work toward.  Many are content to be a manager, one who keeps the boat floating but a leader is the one who drives the boat toward its destination. Throughout Joseph’s life this dream was in his thoughts.  He knew God had called him to a very important leadership role even though the specifics of it were not clear.  As he continued to serve God, the dream became more of a reality as he was given opportunities of leadership in Potiphar’s house, in the prison and in the palace of Pharaoh.

Joseph’s leadership abilities developed over time.

When Joseph had his dream, it became readily apparent that he did not have the leadership skills to see it come to fruition.  He boasted of his dream to his brothers and alienated himself from them to the point that they wanted to kill him.  But over time and through some difficult circumstances leadership skills were apparent.  Joseph's leadership skills and abilities were noticed by Potiphar and Pharaoh.  When he was given opportunities to use these skills, develop them and refine them, he took advantage of them.  He could have sulked over the injustice of being sold as a slave,  thrown in prison for a crime he did not commit but he chose otherwise.  When the opportunity was presented he took it and developed his leadership skills.  By the time he was 30 years old, having spent 13 years in a variety of circumstances that gave him opportunities, he was ready to be placed in a very high position of authority in Egypt.  God develops our leadership abilities through many different situations and circumstances as well as the people he places in our lives. Potiphar, the prison warden, and Pharaoh were men God used to develop Joseph into a leader.  He submitted to them, learned from them, honored them and was promoted by them.  God is always working with us to train us and prepare us for greater responsibilities in his kingdom.  As we prove faithful in the tasks he has given us now, he will provide greater positions of influence and leadership in our lives.  Paul cautioned Timothy to not place new believers in certain leadership roles in the church.  He saw the danger of both unpreparedness and pride being potentially destructive to a young believer placed in an important leadership role.  God has a prepared place for a prepared person.  In his timing, he places us where he wants us to be and in a place where we will be successful.  Leadership is a learned skill and we must always be growing in this area by taking advantage of the open doors God provides for us.

Joseph was governed by his values.

Joseph’s values did not change as he rose in leadership.  We see in the life of Joseph core values that were never compromised or changed based on the circumstances. 

Joseph demonstrated moral rectitude when Potiphar’s desperate housewife tried to seduce him.  He had the moral judgment to make a quick decision to not give in to seduction.  He knew that the results of an affair would lead to disaster and probably his death.  But more than the consequences personally, he had great respect for Potiphar and the thought of betraying him through an affair was unconscionable to him.  Even more important to him was the offense it would bring to God.  Joseph’s morals were not going to be compromised.  When confronted with the seduction he fled.  He knew trouble when he saw it and immediately took action to get out of the situation.  Moral failure is a primary cause of failure in leadership.  We are all aware of pastors and leaders in the church who have lost their position because of a moral failure.  Offending others and more importantly offending God should keep us from falling into sexual sins.  When we lack respect for others and place our fulfillment of needs or desires in an illicit manner as a priority, we will lose the opportunity to be in spiritual leadership.

Joseph was also a man of integrity.  He proved himself faithful to do what was asked of him in Potiphar’s house where he was entrusted with managing it.  His integrity placed him in charge of the prisoners in jail and years later Pharaoh could entrust the rule of the vast country of Egypt and its inhabitants to Joseph.  No one ever had to wonder if Joseph would be true to his word and carry out what was asked of him.  He was not one to compromise, accept bribes, lie, cheat or steal because he was a man of integrity.  What he expected others to do as he did. A leader must have integrity to gain the confidence of those under his or her leadership.  Promises must be fulfilled and honored even at the expense of the leader.  Delta airlines made a mistake on their Web site and advertised fares at incredibly low prices.  Consumers were quick to snap up the deals.  The leadership decided to honor the fares rather than go back on their word. They lost thousands of dollars but maintained their integrity which is priceless.

Joseph was a man of compassion.  When his fellow prisoners had dreams, he showed compassion and care for them by interpreting the dreams for them.  He could have ignored them and not sought God’s help in the interpretation of their dreams but he chose otherwise. When Pharaoh was troubled by his dream, he eagerly sought God for the interpretation to help him.  He could have let anger or resentment for having to spend years in prison be a grudge against the leadership of Egypt.  His compassion toward Pharaoh caused him to respond favorably to help him. When his brothers came to him to get help from the famine, he treated them with compassion.  His love for his family was still there even after 15 years of separation.  He was concerned for the welfare of his father and his younger brother.  He gave his brothers plenty of food to take back to their father and the rest of the family.  He honored them and treated them well by feeding them in his home.  When he finally revealed his true identity to his brothers he wept on their necks and hugged them. 

This compassionate act toward his brothers came as a result of another of his core values which was forgiveness.  Joseph had every reason to be angry and bitter toward his brothers.  He could have harbored a grudge against them and made life very difficult for them when they came seeking help.  Joseph had forgiven his brothers along with others who had made his life difficult.  After Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers became fearful that he would now seek revenge.  They thought his previous acts of compassion and kindness toward them was motivated to please his father.  Now that Jacob was dead, they feared the real Joseph would surface, one full of hatred and anger and resentment.  They did not know the real Joseph but assumed he was play acting.  They were proved wrong when Joseph reassured them that he had truly forgiven them and only had good things for them.  Forgiveness frees us to be loving and kind toward our offenders.  Forgiveness frees the offender from worry of retaliation and revenge.  Joseph modeled compassion and forgiveness as a leader. Genesis 41:51 points to the healing of memories. Joseph’s first child was born while he was in Egypt. He named him Manasseh— meaning “God caused me to forget all my suffering.” The second indicator that Joseph resolved his traumatic experiences comes in verse 52 where he named his second son Ephraim—“God made me fruitful.”

Joseph was a skillful planner and executed the plan. 

When Pharaoh had the dream of the fat and lean cows Joseph gave the accurate interpretation of it using the gift God had given him.  This impressed Pharaoh such that he placed him in charge of the operation to preserve the nation from starvation.  Joseph contrived a plan to save the excess harvest and store it for the coming years of famine.  He built storage areas where the harvest would be safe and secure.  When the famine hit, he had a plan for distribution and replanting to ensure future harvests after the famine ended.  He also made Pharaoh very wealthy by instituting his plan of payment by the people for the grain and giving him 20% of the harvest after the famine ended.  In order to be successful in planning one has to understand the current situation and be able to accurately analyze and predict what the future will hold.  Good planning skills save time and money and keep one moving toward the achievement of the goal. Good planning involves know what resources you have and their condition. The leader must also know his people, their skills and competencies. Those who are not able to be a part of the vision need to be released for their own benefit as well as the benefit of the group. The leader must know what resources are needed to move forward: finances, personnel, materials, training and education.  A friend of mine has a business that he started many years ago.  It did well for a time and was growing but 4 years ago was experiencing trouble and was 3 months from declaring bankruptcy.  He knew he was in over his head and needed help.  He hired a consultant who analyzed his company and made recommendations for changes.  The changes required focusing their people and resources on the things they did well and dropping the things that were not profitable or were a part of the refined vision.  Some personnel were released and this was not an easy decision but it was critical to the survival of the company.  The end result is the company is now more profitable than every and has more employees as well.  When you know what needs to be done you have have a plan for getting what you need.  Jesus said that a wise builder always counts the cost before starting the project.  Those who fail to accurately do this will fail and become a joke to those who see the failure.  It is a principle of leadership that is critical to the success of the vision. 

The example of McDonald's strategic planning to open restaurants in Russia speaks of the importance of vision and strategic planning.

To pursue its endeavors in emerging markets, McDonald’s stalled its growth in developed nations and leaped in Russia which had emerged as a major economic force in the world.
It was George Cohen, head of McDonald’s Canada, who started an almost impossible dream of introducing a McDonald’s hamburger in Russia. It took 12 years of efforts and finally in April 1988, he convinced the officials of Moscow that McDonald’s can be set up in Russian culture. After 14 years of intense negotiations; McDonald’s finally entered into the Soviet Union on January 31, 1990. This flagship store located in Moscow’s Pushkin Square, was the world’s largest McDonald’s boasting of 28 cash registers and seating capacity for around 700 customers. The first day of McDonald’s in Russia broke the record for inaugural sales in McDonald’s history serving more than 30,000 customers on the first day itself. 
The Pushkin Square McDonald’s is the world’s busiest McDonald’s restaurant serving more than 20,000 customers daily. As the fast food market in Russia is growing rapidly, McDonald’s is trying to expand its presence throughout the country. 

 Source: Business Today 

Joseph had Endurance

The unexpected twists and turns in Joseph’s life—from the pit, to the prison, to the palace—are undergirded with one constant: endurance. While the first 30 years of Joseph’s life are significant for their pain and their pinnacles, Joseph lived for 110 years. This means that Joseph loved faithfully while prospering, for 80 years after his deliverance from prison (Gen 50.22) Leaders are called to take the high road for the long haul.

Leadership endurance can best be seen in the face of adversity. Leadership is hard work! (1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Tim. 2:3). Leaders often face discouragement, rejection, ridicule, resentment,  misrepresentation, and a host of other challenges. However, Joseph’s history demonstrates that rejection of the dreamer did not kill his dream. Some leaders have trouble recovering from rejection, but not Joseph.   His character and vision resulted in fortitude. Modern leadership shows that the  hardy survivors of adversity, like Joseph, persisted despite internal or external challenges to  their companies. R. H. Macy failed in retailing seven times before the success of his New York  store. After Henry Ford II fired Lee Iacocca, Iacocca could have remained despondent, but  instead he accepted the challenge of leading the bankrupt Chrysler Corporation. Iacocca’s  remarkable leadership of the Chrysler Corporation took it beyond bankruptcy to financial 
success. Bill Boeing’s first airplane failed so badly that he had to enter the furniture business to keep the business afloat.  Endurance requires hardiness to face challenges to become stronger. 

Source: Alex Mekonnens

Godly leadership is in demand today.  There is a great work yet to be done to bring in the final harvest of souls.  It will take men and women called of God into leadership positions to  influence the body of Christ to complete the work of reaching the nations, making disciples who will continue to advance the gospel and mature the believers.  Joseph's life demonstrated godly leadership to achieve God's goal of preserving Israel as well as Egypt so that his plan of salvation could be continued.