Where are the best leaders (Part II)?

This week I presented my first talk of the year to our Corporate Team at Buckner and spoke on the topic of Leadership Selection. I reflected on my own journey to my role at Buckner and remembered a favorite story with principles for leadership selection. I shared the story of David being selected as the King of Israel in 1 Samuel 16.

So where do you find the best leaders?
1. The best leaders are where they are supposed to be doing their assignments. David was tending to his father’s business tending the sheep. He served in compliance and in submission to his father.
2. The best leaders perform for an audience of one and are comfortable with anonymity. David was not concerned about being out of sight and out of mind. God was the only person he performed for. David would later write: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7-12). Leaders who embrace God’s omnipresence never worry about who is noticing their work. The best leaders work as if the Lord himself was their supervisor (See Colossians 3:23).

3. The best leaders have integrity. They are predisposed to obedience and submission to authority. Outward appearance is important but does not trump inward character. Man looks at the outward; God looks at the inward.

4. The best leaders produce results. David protected the sheep and produced results for his father who trusted his livelihood to David’s care and skill. Results speak for themselves. Tenure is important but results speak volumes.

5. The best leaders develop skills when nobody is looking preparing for the day when they will use them when everybody is looking. David learned how to kill Lions and Bears using a slingshot and a stone to defend the sheep. Later he would use those same skills to kill a giant to defend the whole nation of Israel (1 Samuel 17).

6. The best leaders can easily be found. God never loses your address. Worrying about being noticed, meeting the right people, or being caught in the act of doing good only reveals your dependence on yourself. The fingerprints of excellence can always be traced to their origins.

The story closes with the Lord saying to Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.

The best leaders slay giants, obstacles, problems, and face tough challenges for the organization. The best leaders have courage, compassion, and conviction and offer solutions and recommendations from a skill and knowledge base developed in obscurity. Are you the one?

– See more at: http://pandulce.typepad.com/pan_dulce/2014/01/where-are-the-best-leaders-part-ii.html#sthash.ufbqztbV.dpuf