Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you (Psalm 25:5; NLT)
The subject of leadership is one to which I have dedicated a good part of the last five years studying. One of the things that stand out is that a good leader is ‘leadable’ and ‘teachable’. He is not always right and he doesn’t have all the answers, but he is willing and ready to learn so that he can lead better. Something is obviously wrong if you are always right and no matter how good a leader you are, you can do better.
The psalmist challenges us today. When we look at leaders and their profiles in scriptures, we see that all of them that succeeded knew where to look for the true wisdom and knowledge to lead. Truth and wisdom are crucial elements in the toolkit of great leaders. And these elements are not obtained from just anywhere. The good book is one of those sources of truth and wisdom, and to it we refer today.
One of the things we need so desperately in our society is truth. Literally speaking, I think we live in a time when lies are glorified and truth is scarce in the minds and mouths of many. The way and manner people tell lies and swear by them, you wonder who deceived us into thinking that there are no consequences for lies. How do we not know that we must give accounts of our lies and manipulations and deceits and any misrepresentation of the truth in any way, shape or form, even as leaders? Anytime you misrepresented the truth for whatever reason you lied, and you are a liar. It makes no difference whether the lie kept you momentarily out of trouble or made you a dime richer. The psalmist says, ‘lead me by your truth’; and by implication ‘so I can lead by the truth’. True leaders replicate themselves.
… And Teach me. You don’t say ‘teach me’ if you know it all, or act as if you have all the answers, as is common nowadays. It is wisdom to say ‘please teach me’ even if you know some or have an idea, you can learn more and know more. It takes humility to admit that you need to be ‘taught’. It is an acknowledgment on your side of the fact that someone knows better than you do and that you want to know more than you presently know. A quest for true knowledge and wisdom and a humility to learn by truth cannot lead you to the path of destruction. How is this hard for our generation to comprehend?
Great leaders are guided by the truth as they learn to increase their knowledge and wisdom, in their spheres of influence. You can be a better leader if you would sincerely say ‘lead me and teach me by the truth’. Deceit and manipulation, lies and arrogance do not make you any better leader than you are because the day comes when your nakedness will be open for all to see.
@MezieOkolo is a pharmacist, a leadership analyst and the award winning author of Unguarded Moments
01/26/2020