Bible, Leadership

JOSIAH’S 6 KEYS TO LEADERSHIP – PART 2

The 2nd Set of Keys:

Photo Credit: Leo Reynolds via photopin

Yesterday, I introduced six keys to leadership that I believe were true of King Josiah.

In Part 1 of Josiah’s Six Keys To Leadership, we discussed the first three: Vision, Repentance & Communication.

Today we move forward into Part 2 and the remaining keys: Response, Follow Through & Celebration.

4. RESPONSE (2 Kings 23:3):

After King Josiah renews his commitment to God and Scripture, the people respond: “Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.” (2 Kings 23:3b)

According to author, Walter C. Wright (Relational Leadership and Don’t Step on the Rope), “Leadership requires followers — someone who chooses to be influenced. Leaders cannot lead unless followers choose to follow.

Much like King Josiah, we leaders must humbly gauge our success by the response of our followers. If we are committed to God and communicate that humbly through word and deed, our followers will pledge their commitment.

5. FOLLOW THROUGH (2 Kings 23:4-20):

This is where King Josiah proves that he’s a man of his word. Once he has communicated his commitment to God and the people join in his commitment, he puts his vision into action and starts cleaning house.

Task after task, project after project, King Josiah fulfills the words he spoke at the Temple. As leaders, we too must fulfill our commitments! So many times, we neglect this final step and finish poorly, leaving our followers feeling hopeless and even worse, visionless.

6. CELEBRATION (2 Kings 23:21-23):

This is a remarkable piece of King Josiah’s story. His initial vision was to repair the Temple, but it became a huge movement to bring the people of Israel back to God. After he had completed numerous tasks and projects to see his vision through, the work stops and we read the following:

The king gave this order to all the people: ‘Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.’ Not since the days of the judges who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed.” (2 Kings 23:21-22)

As leaders, we absolutely need to take time for celebration and remembrance. However, we should do it well; keeping the focus away from ourselves, giving the glory to God by celebrating the team’s efforts.

When all is said and done, we can only pray that our leadership will leave the kind of mark that King Josiah left behind:

Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.” (2 Kings 23:25)

As leaders, may we leave this kind of legacy.

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