Leadership is Recognized by Others

Hello readers! Here’s another piece to continue our series on leadership lessons one could learn from the incredible life of Jacob’s son, Joseph. However, today, we will not be talking about a lesson based on his choices but one that tells us something important about the quality of leadership: it is that leaders are recognized by those around them. How? Read on to learn.

“AND THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH…”
"And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand."
– Genesis 39:2-3

Despite the great change in his life and in this alien society, Joseph chose to take his new responsibilities with presence of mind and prudence. He decided to serve and grow through it. Being a good man in his young heart, he did not want to cause harm to anyone and found honest service to be the better option. He knew it was the right thing to do and that God would help him through it. We see Joseph use this approach in every stage of his life. When he was thrown in jail, he did not lose faith or seek vengeance for the unfairness he had had to bear. Instead, he found a way to serve and help those around him. In the prison, he won the trust of the warden and was soon given extraordinary responsibilities.

"The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his (Joseph’s) hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper."
– Genesis 39:23

Likewise, when the Pharaoh called Joseph out of the dungeons to interpret a dream, the explanation Joseph provided to the king to understand the impending crisis and the strategy he formulated to avert this crisis within minutes hugely impressed the Pharaoh. He made Joseph in charge of executing the strategy for the following years and soon started relying on him for even bigger decisions of governance. In fact, he went on to making Joseph his second-in-command across every business of his kingdom.

THE QUALITY OF LEADERSHIP IN JOSEPH WAS SEEN BY OTHERS
The Egyptian master, the prison warden, and the Pharaoh all saw the ability Joseph had. They understood he had brilliant decision making skills and would become an effective leader. They saw he had knowledge, wisdom, character, integrity, and interpersonal skills that allowed people to trust him.

In short, a person with innate leadership qualities is often recognized by those who have experience in life and understand the worth of a man by looking at his actions. Leadership is that bright ray of light that is visible to those with the sight. They know a leader takes charge and does what it takes to make their vision a reality and is recognized for it.

"A genuine leader is not a searcher of consensus but a molder of consensus."
– Martin Luther King, Jr.