Leadership

So I'm reading the book "360 Degree Leader" by John Maxwell. In it, he speaks about various aspects of being a good leader from the middle of an organization. He talks about how in order to be a good leader, one must learn how to lead those above you (ie, your boss), below you (ie, your employees/volunteers), and to either side of you (such as suppliers or vendors). Although you may not approve of everything that your boss does or how he leads, a good leader will not try and cause a mutiny against the poor leader. Someone who is a good leader supports his superior and tries to compensate for his superior's flaws and understands that the superior was put in that position for a reason.

As I'm reading this book, and also reading through 1st and 2nd Samuel, I'm realizing that David is the perfect example of a 360 degree leader. David was just a sheppard boy when he was called into action against Goliath. After this, he finds himself with a huge throng of followers who support him even above King Saul. As Saul finds himself lower and lower in God's favor, he becomes jealous of David and tries multiple times to kill him. David always manages to escape, and even finds himself in striking distance of Saul twice. Yet both times, he allowed Saul to live. David refused to kill Saul because Saul was anointed king by the Lord, and who is David to kill the chosen king? David knew that God had chosen him to be king someday, but instead of taking matters into his own hands by killing Saul, he chose to let God deal with the situation in His own time.

Eventually Saul did die, and David was rewarded for his patience. If you haven't read through 1st and 2nd Samuel, I would recommend it. The life of David is something you can learn a lot from.

Blessings,
Josh