Can you imagine trying to lead “600,000 men, besides women and children”? That was roughly the number of people that Moses had the honor (challenge) of leading. What a job!
In this post, we will look at 5 key leadership lessons from Moses’ leadership journey that are still applicable today. Are you ready? Good! Let’s begin.
Leadership Lesson #1: Address fear
When the Israelites left Egypt, they soon discovered that Pharaoh and his army were coming for them. As you can expect, they were incredibly fearful. “…was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?” they asked Moses in Exodus 14:11.
See my post, Dry Ground, for a little more context on this passage.
Moses immediately addresses their fears. “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today…the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Ex. 14:13-14).
In our lives today, our leadership may not entail having to address people’s fears about their own safety, but we might encounter fears about change or the future.
You’ll see in other passages in Exodus that the Israelites refer back to their lives in Egypt, and despite being slaves, they sometimes thought life was better there than in the desert. People don’t always see the need for change or may think the old way of doing things was better.
Change, for many, is hard. They might not know what their role will look like in the future. They might be afraid they won’t be able to learn the new system quickly enough or that their job will eventually be eliminated.
A good leader will first discover what the fear is and/or why someone is showing signs of resistance, and then will address it.
Moses reassured the Israelites that the Lord would fight for them and deliver them. What might that look like in our context? If we aren’t working in a Christian environment, maybe that looks like communicating that we, as their supervisor or manager, have their back. We assure them that we, or someone with a higher rank, will go to bat for them. We assure them that we will get through this.
Leadership Lesson #2: Earn Trust
A former supervisor of mine used to say that some people impute trust, meaning that they simply trust another individual. Others’ trust, however, has to be earned. When it came to the Israelites, Moses had to earn their trust.
After Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and the Lord drove back the water so the Israelites could pass through on dry ground and be saved from the Egyptians, there was a shift in the Israelites way of thinking.
“And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.” (Ex. 14:31)
Moses had told the Israelites that the Lord would deliver them, and He did. Once the Israelites saw this, Moses had earned their trust.
As leaders, we might not have to stretch out our arms to part the Red Sea and save hundreds of thousands of people from their death. But what if we just did what we said we were going to do? What kind of impact would that have on those around us who look to us for leadership?
Never underestimate the power of following through on your word. Your people will notice and it *will* matter to them.
Leadership Lesson #3: Expect Grumbling
If you read chapters 15-16 in Exodus, you might just begin to lose count of the number of times the word “grumbling” is mentioned.
Often, the Israelites were grumbling because their needs, like food and water, weren’t being met in a timely fashion. They grumbled for other reasons too, but this one was a biggie.
I notice two things about how Moses responded. He went ahead and made sure their needs were met and then he redirected their grumbling. He pointed out that they weren’t grumbling against him, but against God (Ex. 16:7-8).
If you have been leading for any length of time, you have likely encountered at least one grumbler. Rather than being irritated or annoyed by that person (or even feeling threatened by them), what would happen if you took some time to discover why they were grumbling?
Maybe they have unmet needs or expectations. If you can discover the root of their grumbling, you have a much better chance of being able to work with them to end it.
Leadership Lesson #4: Be Teachable
This is not a new lesson. It is tried and true and still very relevant today. Whether you are leading in a positional leadership role or leading by influence, being teachable is a characteristic that will always behoove you.
I see this characteristic in Moses when his father-in-law, Jethro, comes to visit (Ex. 18:13-26). After Moses tells Jethro all that God has been doing and the hardships they have faced, Moses sits down to act as judge for the people.
Jethro looks at what Moses is doing and questions Moses. Why are you the only one doing this? This is far too big of a job of one person alone. You are going to wear yourself out. You should find some other trustworthy and reliable men who you can teach to judge.
Moses listens to his father-in-law and does everything he tells him.
As a leader, do you find yourself teachable? Do you listen when others have observations about your leadership? Do you allow others to speak into your life and offer ideas for solutions to problems you are facing?
Leadership Lesson #5: Diligently Delegate
This lesson flows right out of the last one. Moses ends up finding some men who are able to act as judges over large groups of people.
As leaders, we want to delegate, but not so much so that we are actually shirking our own responsibilities. We want to maintain a manageable amount on our plates, allowing ourselves to still be stretched, without being overwhelmed.
There was a time when I felt like I was doing a full-time job and a part-time job at the same time. I would come in early, work through lunch and stay late and there were still endless things on my “to do” list. There just weren’t enough hours in the day to get through all the emails, do paperwork, plan for and attend meetings, and file the ever-growing piles on my desk.
Eventually, a bigger team of people came to my rescue and I was able to delegate enough of my tasks to finally make my job right-sized. It was such a relief. I felt like I could be a better leader and invest more in my team because I had delegated appropriately.
Well, I hope you have found these leadership lessons helpful. Would you take a moment and comment below? Was there a particular leadership lesson you think would be especially useful for you right now? Do you see any other lessons from Moses’ leadership journey? Please share in the comments!
We will continue our leadership study next week, so be sure to come on back for that! In the meantime, let us go be radiant this week!
Go Be Radiant 